I'll Protect You No Matter What(Digimon ver)
by PrincessofKingdomHearts16
Summary: Digimon version of this story.
1. Bio

Name: Nikko(Daylight)

Age: 16

Appearance: Snow white hair(with blue highlights)that goes down to the back of her knees, amethyst purple eyes, pale pink lips, pale skin, thin.

Relations: Unknown/possible parents, Roxas(caretaker/surrogate brother).

Homeworld: Twilight Town

Partner: Unknown

Crest: Unknown

Outfit: A pink top with loose, off the shoulder sleeves with white tulle cuffs that have pink string ribbon sewn through them. The corset part is blue with pink flowers and string, and white tulle to match the sleeves and lining of the top. At both sides of the chest are flower bunches with pink string that ties around the neck, lined with white tulle. A blue skirt with white tulle with pink string, many flowers printed all over it, and white, very thin lining. Underneath of it is a pale yellow layer. Blue pumps with flowered print and short white socks. At one spot, _Aries_ is wrote on the leg. A white, detailed band with two big pink flowers on it. Comes with pink bow earrings with pink flowers in the center(Look at Aikatsu; Floral Alps Coord).

History: Nikko lives in Twilight Town with Roxas. She sees him as an older brother, despite being a year older. Lately, Nikko has been having strange dreams of a mysterious girl named Hikari.

* * *

Name: Kage(Shadow)

Age: 6

Appearance: Black hair that goes down her back, topaz eyes, pale skin and thin.

Relations: Hikari(original self).

Hometown: Hollow Bastion  
Twilight Town

Partner: Lopmon

Crest: Peace

Outfit: A gray top with black lining on the chest and collar, decorated with three small bows, each held by a gold button. The black skirt has a single streak of white at the hem and a slight ruffled pleat. On her feet are white flats with a black bow with a gold button in the middle rests on top of the foot. Black socks are included(PriPara; Mini Ribbon Refreshing Coord recolor)

History: Kage is created when Hikari loses her heart. After defeating Ansem, she stays close to Riku and Kairi during the time in Castle Oblivion. While Hikari and Sora sleep, Kage helps Riku and King Mickey. However, due to her being a creature of darkness, the darkness causes Lopmon to digivolve into darker evolutions. Kage is trying to help Lopmon be free of it. She currently resides in the abandoned mansion with Naminé.

* * *

Name: Shinseina Hikari (Means 'Sacred Light. Shinseina = sacred, Hikari = light).

Age: 16

Appearance: Ice blue hair(with iris blue highlighting the ends)that goes down to the back of her ankles, sapphire blue eyes, pale pink lips, pale skin, thin.

Title: Princess of Kingdom Hearts  
Keyblade Master

Homeworld: Land of Departure  
Radiant Garden  
Destiny Islands  
Castle Oblivion  
Twilight Town

Relations: Yousuke(foster father), Hanako(foster mother), Riku(foster brother/boyfriend), Sora(best friend), Kairi(cousin), Yami(sister), Terra(surrogate brother/guardian), Ven(surrogate brother/guardian), Aqua(surrogate sister/guardian), Vanitas(surrogate brother/guardian/ mentor), Shiro(biological mother), Eraqus(biological father), Kage/Shadow(Heartless).

Partner: Salamon

Crest: Light

Outfit: Same as in KH & RE: COM.

History: Hikari's heart is forcibly freed by Maleficent after protecting Riku. However, Maleficent is unable to capture her heart and it disappears, along with her body. Hikari later reappears in Castle Oblivion. It later turns out the No. 14 of Organization XIII, the Dark Princess, Yami is actually Hikari's sister. Not her Nobody. After Sora and Hikari go to sleep and Riku defeats Ansem, Riku asks Yami, Kage, Naminé and the former members to look after Sora and Hikari until their memories have been recovered and Hikari's heart is found.


	2. Twilight Town(Day 1)

_Dream_

 _Hikari?_

 _Ri_! So_! Kai_!_

 _If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one?_

 _I love you Hikari._

 _I love you too, Ri_._

 _This world is connected._

 _Who are you?_

 _Tied to the darkness..._

 _The door has opened..._

 _What?_

 _You understand nothing._

* * *

 _Day 1_

My Pov

I opened my eyes to see the light of the sun shining through the window. I felt the warmth of someone next to me. I knew who it was. Roxas. I was living with him while my parents were away on business. He was like a brother to me. My shifting woke Roxas up.

"Nikko, what's wrong?" Roxas asked.

"I had another dream about her. Did you have a dream about him?" I asked.

"Yeah." Roxas said.

"Who do you think they are?" I asked.

"I don't know..." Roxas said. I heard the clock tower bells chime. Roxas opened the window and a gentle breeze tickled my got changed and headed to the usual spot.

"Man, doesn't that just tick you off?" Hayner asked.

"Yeah, that's just wrong." Pence said.

"Seifer's gone too far this time." Olette said.

"I mean, it's true that stuff's been stolen around town. And we've got a score to settle with Seifer and everything. So if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him. See... that's not what really bugs me. What REALLY bugs me is that he's goin' around tellin' everybody we're the thieves! Now the whole town and their mothers are treating us like the Klepto Club! Have you ever been this ticked off before in your life? 'Cause I haven't. Nuh-uh, never. Now... what to do." Hayner said.

"I for one can honestly say I've never been so pissed at someone in my whole life!" I said.

"We could find the real thieves. That would set the record straight." Roxas said.

"Hey, sounds like fun!" Pence said.

"What about Seifer?" Hayner asked.

"Clearing our names is more important. Once the real culprit is found, everyone will back off." I said.

"Oh no! They're gone! Our—are gone!" Pence exclaimed. Huh?

"All our —, gone?" Hayner asked.

"Are you trying to say —?" I asked. I covered my mouth. Why couldn't I say —? I couldn't even say it in my thoughts!

"Stolen... Not just the —. The word —! They stole it, too!" Roxas said. How can you steal a word? Seifer couldn't have done this.

"We need to go have a talk with Seifer." I said. Everyone ran outside. I was about to, but I suddenly felt some kind of force pulling back and forth. I fell to the ground and blacked out.

 _"Her heart is almost fully restored. Although... I sorry to say it will not help her awaken." a voice said._

"Ni?" Roxas asked. I opened my eyes to see a slightly concerned Roxas.

"I'm fine. Must be the heat." I said.

"Nikko, Roxas, c'mon." Olette called. We went around town and it turned out everyone had — stolen from them. Soon we came to the Sandlot, where Rai, Vivi and Fuu were.

"Thieves." Fuu said.

"That was low, y'know!" Rai said.

"Oh yeah?" Hayner said. That's when I saw Seifer walking in our direction.

"Nice comeback there, blondie. Nikko, you're as gorgeous as ever." Seifer said. I mentally gagged.

"Back off." Pence warned. He turned his attention to Roxas.

"You can give back the — now." Seifer demanded.

"Yeah! You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?" Rai said.

"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers. So what did you do? Burn it? Ha, not that we need some — to prove that you're losers." Seifer said.

"You're so full of yourself, you jerk!" I said. He just laughed at me.

"Cute and feisty." I was so close to wrapping my hands around that guys throat. "I guess if you get on your knees and beg, MAYBE I'll let it slide." Seifer said. Roxas actually got on his knees.

"Rox!?" I cried.

"Why are you even with this loser, Nikko? You should be with a man, not a spineless wimp like him." Seifer said. I realized Roxas had picked up one of the staffs used in Struggle battles. They faced off and Roxas won. Pence took a picture, when this weird creepy white came out of nowhere and took off with his camera. Roxas and I followed it to the haunted mansion. We soon cornered the thief at the gate. It stared at us.

 ** _"We have come for you, my lieges."_**

The creature's mouth unzipped and it let out a roar. Roxas handed me a Struggle stick. I never participated in Struggle, but my body seemed to know what it was doing. We both attacked the creature, but it was like we were hitting air.

"It's no use, Roxas..." I said. The creature lunged toward us, but two small things tackled it away. We saw a small bee-like Digimon and a cat-like Digimon.

"Roxas!" the bee Digimon chirped.

"Nikko!" the cat Digimon said. How did they know our names? That's when our staffs turned into something else. Roxas's became a silver and gold, key-like sword. Mine was a deep, pastel blue while the handle itself was a deep indigo. The "blade" was a light-blue metal bar with a spike and a star at the end of the bar that was the same color. A gold rainguard was at the bottom of the bar. The Keychain was a gold star and it was attached to the hilt of the Keyblade with a silver chain. These swords or whatever forced our hands forward.

"What... what are these things?" Roxas asked. We decided to try again. This time, we succeeded in destroying the creature. When we did, several pictures floated to the ground. We took the pictures back and gave them to their rightful owners. All the while, the two Digimon followed us. We looked through all of the ones that were ours.

"These are really nice photos." I said. I realized I had said 'photo'. We could say it again!

"Has anyone noticed that all the stolen pictures have Roxas and Nikko in them?" Pence asked.

"So that's why everyone thought it was us." Olette said.

"You mean Seifer didn't go around accusing us after all?" Hayner asked.

"Are they really all of us?" Roxas asked. Pence showed us all the pictures and both of us were in everyone.

"Wouldn't it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas and Nikko?" Pence asked. That's a strange thought.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going home."

"Yeah. See ya tomorrow!" Roxas called. We stepped outside and the sun hit my eyes. Again, I blacked out. I heard a beautiful voice, more beautiful than music, call out to me.

 _Where... am I?_

 _Who's there?_

 _Who are you?_

* * *

No one's Pov

Restoration at 12%.

 _In a secret room of the haunted mansion, DiZ continued to oversee the progress of Sora and the Princess. An unknown, cloaked man enters the room with a Kudamon perched on his shoulder._

 _"Organization miscreants... They've found us." DiZ sneered._

 _"But... why would the Nobodies steal photographs?" the unknown asked._

 _"Both are nothing but data to them. The fools could never tell the difference. We are running out of time. Naminé and Kage must make haste." DiZ said._


	3. Mysterious Man(Day 2)

_Dream_

 _What is this place?_

 _You monster! What did you do to him!?_

 _They'll come at him from out of nowhere. And they'll keep coming as long as your friend continue to wield the Keyblade._

 _Hey, why don't you two come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel._

 _So_, Hikari, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends._

 _Donald Duck._

 _Name's Goofy._

 _I'm So_ and this is my partner Veemon._

 _My name's Hikari and this is Salamon._

 _We'll go with you guys._

 _The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade._

 _That's right. The Keyblade._ _ _  
__

 _So... these are the keys?_

 _But the children are a problem. They found one of the Keyholes._

* * *

 _Day 2_

My Pov

I snapped my eyes open and looked at my hand.

"A key... blade?" I said.

"You too, huh?" Roxas asked. I nodded. Were those the same swords we had used before. I heard light snoring. I looked down and saw the same Digimon from yesterday sleeping on the floor. They stirred and then jumped up to us.

"Good morning to you. " I said.

"Nikko, I'm so happy to see you again!" the cat Digimon said. Again?

"Me too! I'm so happy to see you're safe, Roxas." the bee Digimon said.

"Do we... know you?" Roxas asked. The two Digimon looked at each other and then sighed.

"I guess not. So, let's introduce ourselves." the cat Digimon said. "I'm Nyaromon."

"I'm Puroromon." the bee Digimon said. Nyaromon and Puroromon. Those names did sound familiar. I looked at the time. We needed to head over to the Usual Spot. We got dressed and headed out, too.

"A Keyblade..." I noticed two sticks on the ground. We picked them up, slashed the air a couple and then crossed them. I laughed. "What are we doing?" I asked.

"I don't know." Roxas said. We tossed our sticks over shoulders, but I only heard one drop. I turned to see guy wearing a black coat with a hood that was covering his face. Next to him was a Kudamon.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" I said. He looked at Roxas, then stared at me for awhile before leaving. Why was he staring at me? I shook it off and went into the Usual Spot. Hayner handed me and Roxas a sea-salt ice cream. Both me and Roxas's would let Nyaromon and Puroromon take several licks too.

"Do you guys think we'll always be together like this?" Pence asked.

"Pence, of course we will." I said.

"Well, I doubt we can be together forever. But isn't that what growing up's all about? What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other. Right? We just not wanting summer vacation to be over. Same with the rest of us. So, how about this? We all go to the beach! And why do we go to the beach? Because we haven't gone this entire vacation!" Hayner pointed out.

"Maybe that's because we're all broke." I said.

"Maybe you're forgetting I'm smart! Come on!" Hayner said. We decided to head to Market Street to look at the billboard for jobs. We looked over to the poster for the Struggle tournament. "You and I have to make the finals! That way, no matter who wins, the five of us split the prize!"

"You guys will do great!" I said.

"It's a promise." Roxas said. We talked about how much Munny we would need to get. It was 900 for each ticket and we were planning on buying pretzels(which were 300 a piece)... so we would need 6000 Munny. Pence had 800, Olette had 650, Roxas had 150 which added to 1600. We needed 4400 more. That's when I remembered I had 3000 saved in the pouch I carried with me.

"Guys, here." I said. I handed the pouch to Olette.

"Where did you get this much?" Olette asked.

"Saved it. Just for a trip to the beach." I said.

"Way to go, Nikko! Now we only need to get 1400. Let's go!" Hayner said. Everyone, but me and Roxas went off.

"Why did you do that?" Roxas asked.

"I want us to have one last good memory before school starts. I just can't shake this feeling that I'll never see you again." I said. Roxas hugged me.

"That's silly Ni. I'll always be here and I'll always protect you." Roxas said. I gripped on to his jacket. "Come on." We worked several jobs. When we all thought we had enough, we went to the station.

"Nice work, everyone. Added to what we started with, we now have... Tada! 6000 Munny exactly!" Olette exclaimed.

"Awesome!" I said. She gave the pouch to Roxas and they ran off to the ticket booth. Me and Roxas started to head there, but something caused us both to trip. I wiped my mouth in case I was bleeding. I looked over to see someone standing next to us. He grabbed us both.

"No!" Puroromon cried.

"Don't take them away yet!" Nyaromon cried. The man whispered something to us

"What?" Roxas asked.

"Roxas! Nikko! Three minutes!" Hayner called.

"Got ya!" I called back. I looked to see the guy was gone. When we got to the ticket booth, the pouch was gone.

"That guy! He took it!" Roxas exclaimed.

"He couldn't have gotten too far. We can still catch him!" I said.

"What are you guys talking about? There was no guy." Hayner said.

"What?" I asked. The train whistle sounded, signaling the train had left. Great. We decided to go up to the clock tower and eat sea-salt ice cream. Like always. I thought back to what that guy had said. _'Can you feel Sora and Hikari?'_

* * *

No one's Pov

Restoration at 28%.

 _The mysterious man returned after stealing the digital pouch. DiZ becomes more concerned with Naminé's speed in restoring the memories of the Keyblade Master. The Princess's memories had been found and all were inside her now. The only problem remained; waking the princess up._

 _"Naminé, Kage, hurry." DiZ pleaded._

 _"Is it really that hard to make a beach?" the unknown asked._

 _"We'd be giving the enemy another entry point." DiZ explained._

 _"What about Puroromon and Nyaromon? They may tell Roxas and Nikko about who they are." Kudamon said._

 _"They won't chance it. They know they'll be deleted if they utter a word." DiZ said._

 _"And this?" the unknown asked, holding up the pouch of Munny._

 _"We can always buy some sea-salt ice cream. Objects from that town must be kept out of the real world. You can delete that." DiZ said. Unknown to DiZ, the man had no intention on doing so. He also wasn't going to destroy the humanoid Heartless known as Kage. If what DiZ said was true about the princess's condition, Kage would be all he had left of her._


	4. Two Strange Girls(Day 3)

_Dream_

 _As the Princess of Kingdom Hearts and key bearers, you must already know... One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds._

 _So many places I want to see... I know I'll get there someday..._

 _Thus, I hereby dub thee junior heroes._

 _Hey! What do you mean by 'junior heroes'?_

 _You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero._

 _I... I wish... for your freedom, Genie._

 _Al!_

 _Ri_... Maleficent is lying to you... Don't believe what she says..._

 _So_!_

 _Kai_..._

 _Sally, why didn't I listen to you?_

 _Don't feel bad, Jack. We'll come up with another plan for Halloween. Next time, we'll do it together._

 _Or are you too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblade?_

 _Ri_! Wh-What are you doing here?"_

 _Did you find her?_

 _I still can't believe it... We really flew, Hikari! I wonder if Ri_ and Kai_ we'll believe us? Probably not._

 _We're searching, too._

 _For your light? Don't lose sight of it._

 _So_, Hikari, where are you going?_

 _We have friends waiting for us._

 _Where are Donald and Goofy?_

 _Instead of worrying about them, you should be asking... about her._

* * *

?'s Pov

 _Three hazy figures started to become clear. A boy with silver hair and cyan eyes, another boy with spikey brown hair and blue eyes and a girl with maroon hair and violet-blue eyes. It felt like they were important to me, but what were their names?_

* * *

No one's Pov

 _DiZ continued to observe the progress of the restoration. In another room, two girls look at a pod and sighed sadly._

 _"Hikari..."_

* * *

Day 3

My Pov

 _I saw a little girl dressed in a dark gray-black dress._

 _"Who are you?" I asked. She turned around and smiled at me._ I opened my eyes to see Roxas was already awake.

"You okay?" Roxas asked. I nodded. That's when I felt someone was here. I looked, but saw no one. We got dressed and headed over to the Usual Spot. To my surprise, the others weren't here. I saw a note from Hayner. They wanted to meet at the station so we could go to the beach. We started to head over there, only to see Pence and Olette. They walked over to us, but then stopped as if they had been frozen. We ran over to them, but two girls appeared in front of us. One was around our age, had blonde hair, blue eyes and was dressed in a plain white dress. In her arms was a Kyupimon.

The other couldn't have been more than six, had black hair, yellow eyes and wore a gray top with black lining on the chest and collar, decorated with three small bows, each held by a gold button. The black skirt has a single streak of white at the hem and a slight ruffled pleat. On her feet were black socks, white flats with a black bow with a gold button in the middle rests on top of the foot. In her arms was a Nyaromon.

"Hello, Roxas. Hello, Nikko." the Girl in White said.

"Hello... And you two are..." I started, but the Girl in White held up her hand.

"We wanted to meet you two. At least this one time." the Girl in Black said.

"Us?" Roxas asked.

"Yes." the Girl in White said. The Girl in Black took hold of the other girl's hand and they walked away. As soon as they were out of sight, Pence and Olette unfroze.

"Olette dragged me along to go shopping." Pence said.

"Hey, you wanna come with us?" Olette asked.

"Didn't you guys see those..." I began, but didn't finish.

"They're stalling..." Pence said.

"Very well, then. We'll see you guys later." Olette said. They left.

"Something tells me they went to the haunted mansion." Roxas said. I nodded. We headed that way, only to run into more of those white things. One of them grabbed my hand.

"Lemme go!" I yelled. Nimphi used Fairy Wind to shake it off and we started running. We went through the Sandlot, only to run past Seifer.

"Hey, chicken wuss and cute stuff." Seifer said. The white creatures came after us. Roxas and I took out our Struggle bats. That's when a light cloaked both Nyaromon and Puroromon.

 ** _"Nyaromon digivolve to... Salamon!"_**

 ** _"Puroromon digivolve to... FanBeemon!"_**

Like before, we couldn't do any damage, but Salamon and FanBeemon could. Three of them surround Seifer and the others. That's when I realized they were frozen. The creatures turned their attention to us.

"Roxas! Nikko! Use the Keyblade!" a voice yelled. I looked around and saw the two girls from before. One of the creatures darted right toward me. I shield myself, but nothing happened. I opened my eyes and saw I was standing on a white platform. In the middle was the girl from my dreams, Hikari. She was dressed like a princess. At the feet of her picture was a Salamon. On the left side of her were six pictures of people. They were Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and the three teens I didn't know the names to and each of them had a Digimon next to their picture. On the right, were eight pictures. One of a man with dark brown hair and blue eyes with a Gaomon, a woman with blue hair and eyes with a Penguinmon, a boy who looked extremely like Roxas with a Falcomon and another boy who looked like the one from my dream except his hair was black and his eyes were yellow with an Dorumon. Around the outer part was a ring of pictures with fifteen people I didn't recognize, except the two girls we'd had seen before. Roxas and I were on there too as were my Salamon and FanBeemon. These were all people important to her. Were Roxas and I important to her? I traveled around the station to different levels until I came face-to-face with a giant version of those white creatures. I managed to defeat. The thing fell forward and collapsed on me. Or rather, cloaked me in darkness. I thought I was going to be swallowed, but a small hand reached out for me. I opened my eyes.

"Ni!" Roxas called. I was so relieved to see him. Salamon jumped into my arms and FanBeemon rubbed his face against my leg. I looked to the two girls from before, their Kyupimon and Kokomon sitting next to them. I went to say something, but the younger one put a finger to her lips.

"Our names are Naminé and Kage." the Girl in White said.

"Roxas... Nikko... do you remember your true names?" Kage asked. Suddenly, the man in the cloak grabbed Naminé and Kage. A Kudamon stood in front of Kyupimon and Kokomona.

"Naminé, Kage, no more." the man said.

"But if we don't tell them, they'll..." Naminé began, which Kage seemed to finish.

"I get it. It's best they don't know." Kage said.

"Hey! You're that pickpocket!" Roxas exclaimed. A portal appeared behind us. The man pushed Roxas into it.

"Hey!" I snapped. What he did next was unexpected. He grabbed my arm, pulled me toward him and kissed me on the lips. My eyes widen. He parted from me and pushed me into the portal. I woke up in the Sandlot and the others showed up. Long story short; Roxas and I were now between a rock and a hard place.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _DiZ was infuriated. Naminé and Kage had made contacted with Roxas and Nikko._

 _"Were those Naminé and Kage made of data?" the unknown asked._

 _"No... Kage somehow hijacked the data herself. Look what she's done. That child and Naminé are totally beyond my control!" DiZ said and banged his fist against a monitor._

 _"Calm down." the unknown said._

 _"It doesn't matter. As long as those two accomplish their goals... we needn't worry about what befalls Nikko and Roxas." DiZ said._


	5. Contact With Forgotten Friends(Day 4)

_Dream_

 _It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door and change the world._

 _But I'm not gonna betray Sora and Hikari, either._

 _All for one and one for all._

 _My friends are my power and I'm theirs!_

 _HIKARI!_

 _At last! The heart of Kingdom Hearts' princess is mine!_

 _It is I, Ansem. lead me into everlasting darkness!_

 _Sora!_

 _Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart! I'll beat you and free Riku and save Kairi. Then, the three of us will go and find Hikari._

 _We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other._

 _No matter where we are or what happens to us, our hearts will bring us together again._

 _Take this. It's my lucky charm. Be sure to take care of it._

 _I will! Let's go!_

* * *

?'s Pov

 _Sora. Riku. Kairi. The three figures smiled and nodded. I could see them clearly now. Sora... Riku... Kairi... I remember now. I loved Riku and cared about you guys so much. I hope one day, we'll see each other again. But, it won't be anytime soon. I'm sorry._

* * *

Day 4

My Pov

I snapped my eyes open. That dream seemed more intense than the others. I stretched and yawned. I looked over to see Roxas was still asleep. He always looked cute when he was asleep. I looked down and saw Nyaromon and Puroromon were still sleeping too. I was about to go back to sleep, when I realized the time and day. It was the day of the Struggle tournament and we were running late!

"Roxas, wake up! The tournament's today and it'll start in ten minutes!" I exclaimed. He immediately jumped out of bed. We threw our clothes on and ran out the door to the Sandlot. Nyaromon and Puroromon following us close behind. Roxas went to his place while I went next to Pence and Olette. Puroromon and Nyaromon sat in my lap.

"Who are you gonna cheer for?" Pence asked.

"Yeah. Who?" Olette asked.

"Both of them!" I said. The tournament began with Roxas vs. Hayner. I could tell Hayner was still a little upset about the misunderstanding from yesterday. The fight began. It seemed even, but Roxas pulled through in the end.

"And the winner is Roxas! Not even friendship will slow this kid down. And Hayner put up a good fight, too." the ref announced. Roxas ran over to Hayner.

"I lost. Awww, I can't believe it! I guess I taught you well." Hayner said.

"I had a lot of fun fighting you." Roxas said.

"Yeah, well I didn't wise guy." Hayner pouted.

"Hey, let's find a way to cheer you up." Roxas said.

"Nah, that's all right." Hayner said. I was happy to see that Hayner wasn't mad anymore. Next it was... Seifer vs. Vivi? This was going to be interesting. And it was. It was almost like Vivi had gotten good over night. Seifer had knocked one of Vivi's orbs off him and went for it. In a split second, Vivi reclaimed it and knocked several of Seifer's orbs off him, winning the match.

"Whoa..." I said.

"Yeah." Pence agreed. Seifer withdrew from the tournament, which placed Hayner in third. Now the semifinals; Roxas vs. Vivi. The match was intense. Just then, everyone froze. I looked around. Only me, Roxas and Vivi weren't frozen. Wait, how was Vivi still able to move? Vivi suddenly turned into one of those creatures and more of them showed up. I ran onto the platform just as they surround Roxas. The two Keyblades appeared in our hands.

"Again..." Roxas muttered. We fought the creatures and destroyed all of them. That's when I heard clapping. We turned around to see a cloaked figure like the one before, but it wasn't the same person.

"Roxas. Nikko. All right. Fight fight fight." Who was this guy? "You really don't remember? It's me. You know, Axel." the man said. He took off his hood to reveal red spikey hair and green eyes. Wait, he looked like one of the people I saw on Hikari's Station except older.

"Axel?" I said, confused.

"Talk about blank with a capital 'B'. Man oh man, even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one." Axel said. He summoned two chakrams.

"Wait a sec, tell us what's going on!" Roxas exclaimed.

"This town is his creation, right? That means we don't have time for a Q&A. You guys are coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story." Axel said. I looked at the Keyblade in my hand. We both angrily threw our weapons to the ground.

"What's going ON!?" I yelled. The Keyblades suddenly reappeared in our hands.

"Number 13 & 14\. Roxas and Nikko. The Keyblade's chosen ones." Axel said. Fine. This guy was gonna get it. It was hard to fight this guy, but together we managed. Then another man showed up. "So it was you."

"Roxas, Nikko, this man speaks nonsense!" the man yelled.

"Roxas, Nikko, don't let him deceive you!" Axel yelled.

"Roxas! Nikko!" the man called.

"Roxas! Nikko!" Axel called. Their voices kept going on, back and forth.

"Hayner! Pence! Olette!" Roxas and I both yelled. There was a bright light and I found myself back in the stands. It was as if nothing happened. Vivi had lost and now Roxas went on to fight Setzer. It was really close, but Roxas had won! He was champion now. The five of us went to the clock tower. Roxas began popping each of the crystal off and giving one to each of us. He gave Olette the yellow one, Hayner the red one, Pence the green one, me the white one and he kept the blue one. We held them out toward the sun and the light reflected off them.

"I've got a present too... for all of us." Olette said. She pulled out five sea-salt ice cream bars. Roxas got up to move, but his foot slipped and he started falling off the tower. I reached out for him, but he ended up pulling me from my seat and we both fell. Puroromon and Nayromon jumped down after us.

* * *

Kairi's Pov

It's been a year since I returned to the islands by myself. Labramon followed close behind.

"Kairi..." Labramon squeaked. I looked at her.

"I miss them too." I said. I knew Riku was okay, but there were those two... the boy and girl I couldn't remember. Their voices... their faces... their names... I couldn't remember anything about them. Everyone but me had forgotten them all together. That's when two voices called out.

" _Naminé?"_ My head started hurting. Who was that? There was a boy's voice and a girl's voice. _"Naminé...? What's happening to us?" they asked._

 _"Who are you two? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi." I said._

 _"Kairi... We know you. You're that girl he likes." the boy said._

 _"And you're her cousin." the girl said._

 _"Who? Please, I need their names!" I begged._

 _"I'm Roxas." the boy said._

 _"I'm Nikko." the girl said._

 _"Okay, Roxas and Nikko, but can you tell me THEIR names?" I asked. That's when I heard two different voices. A different boy and girl._

 _"You don't remember our names?" the boy asked._

 _"Thanks a ton, Kai!" the girl laughed. Kai? That nickname! SHE called me that!_

 _"O-kay, I guess we can give you a hint. Starts with an 'S'!" the boy said._

 _"And mine starts with an 'H'!" the girl said._ I opened my eyes and ran to the shore. I took out the letter I had written to the boy and placed it in the water.

"Starts with an 'S' and 'H'. Right, Sora and Hikari?" I asked, as the memories of them came flooding back.


	6. Truth and Pain(Day 5)

No one's Pov

 **Restoration at 79%**

 _The progress of the Keyblade wielder had picked up dramatically._

 _"His progress is astounding." DiZ said._

 _"So what happened?" the unknown asked._

 _"Naminé and Kage's encounter with Roxas and Nikko, put their hearts in contact with Kairi's. And that, in turn, affect Sora and Hikari." DiZ said._

 _"Are you saying that-?" the unknown began, but DiZ shook his head._

 _"No. As I said before; the princess's heart had been shattered a long time ago. It was still healing when it was forced from her body. Along with the emotional strain, it put her in a very horrific state. Needless to say, the princess's eyes will never open again." DiZ said. The man clenched his fist. He didn't want to believe the princess was gone. Kudamon_ _pushed his head toward his owner, trying to help him, but it wasn't any use._

 _"Still, Naminé and Kage... they're wonders." the unknown said._

 _"Naminé wasn't born like other Nobodies and Kage wasn't born like other Heartless. Both can interfere with Sora and Hikari's hearts and all those aligned with them. "DiZ said._

 _"I know whose Heartless Kage is, but whose Nobody is Naminé?" the unknown asked._

 _"I could tell you... But first, perhaps you could tell me your true name?" DiZ asked. The man removed his hood._

 _"It's Ansem." the man answered. DiZ looked at the man, then laughed._

 _"It's an honor, Ansem!" DiZ said._

* * *

Day 5

My Pov

I jolted up and looked around. Roxas and i were back home. How did we get here? I looked and saw Nyaromon and Puroromon sleeping in their usual spot.

"Must have been some kind of nightmare..." Roxas said.

"But which parts... were the dream?" I asked. We got dressed and went to the Usual Spot. Olette was wanting to do the homework assignment that we had to do before summer was over.

"Only three days left of summer vacation-so don't even mention that assignment!" Hayner said.

"But we agreed we get it finished today." Olette said.

"Yesterday... me, Nikko and our Digimon fell off the station tower, didn't we?" Roxas asked.

"You guys won't be here if you did!" Hayner said.

"It was close, though." Pence said.

"Yeah. Anyway, we should do the homework. It's free research. The hard part is thinking of topic. The rest is easy!" I said.

"What about the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town?" Pence suggested.

"That's perfect! We could study them and see what actually is causing them." I said. We hurried to the train station and boarded the train going to Sunset Terrance. While on the way, everyone pulled out their crystals that Roxas gave them. I went to get mine, but found it was missing. So was Roxas's. Great. That's another thing we lost. We got to Sunset Station. The first wonder was that there was a set of stairs that had a different number of steps each time. Come to find out Rai was the one who started it, but the reason the number was different was because he counted wrong. We explored five of the remain six here.

 **Wonders & Conclusions**

 **. Wonder 2: The Friend From Beyond the Wall.**

 **Conclusion: Someone playing ball.**

 **. Wonder 3: The Moans From the Tunnel.**

 **Conclusion: Vivi was practicing by himself.**

 **. Wonder 4: The Doppelganger.**

 **Conclusion: People were seeing their own reflection.**

 **. Wonder 5: The Animated Bag.**

 **Conclusion: A dog was trapped in the bag.**

 **. Wonder 6: The Ghost Train Mystery.**

 **Conclusion: ?**

All that was left was 'The Lonely Girls'. It is said that two girls can be seen in a window on the second floor of the Old Mansion, despite it being abandoned. Me, Roxas and Pence went to the Old Mansion. I looked up and saw Naminé and Kage in the window. That's when there was a bright light. Roxas and I found ourselves in a plain white room. All over the walls were drawings. I saw one of me, Nyaromon as Salamon, Roxas, Puroromon as FanBeemon, and... Axel?

"Is this us? Axel's here, too." I said.

"He IS your best friend..." Kage said.

"Very funny." Roxas said.

"Don't you both want to know the truth about who you both really are?" Naminé asked.

"No one knows us better than ourselves." I said.

"Makes sense." Kage said.

"But... I don't understand about what's been happening lately." I said. I saw one picture.

"You know these six, don't you?" Kage asked.

"Yeah. Sora, Veemon, Hikari, Salamon, Donald and Goofy. They're from the dreams." Roxas said.

"About a year ago... some things happened. I had to take apart the memories chained together in both Sora and Hikari's hearts. That affected Kage too. Now, I'm putting them back the way they were. It's taken a long time, but soon Sora will be his old self again." Naminé said.

"What about Hikari?" I asked.

"Hikari... won't ever wake up again. So many things happened to her that put enormous amount of strain and hurt on her heart, that it's damaged her entire being. At least that's what DiZ said." Kage said.

"Have we been affected too? Is that why we've been having those dreams?" I asked.

"Yes. You are connected to Hikari as Roxas is connected to Sora." Naminé said.

"In order for them to become whole again... they need you both." Kage said. I saw a picture of Sora holding both Roxas and Hikari's hand and Hikari holding mine.

"Us? What for?" Roxas asked.

"You both hold half of what they are... They need you." Naminé said.

"Naminé? Kage?" I looked to see Naminé sitting down, with Kage in her lap. Kage's Nyaromon was next to them with Kyupimon standing behind Kage's Nyaromon. "Who are you both?" I asked.

"I'm a witch with power over Sora's memories and those around him." Naminé said.

"I'm a demon that can manipulate Hikari's heart and those around her." Kage said.

"A witch and a demon?" Roxas asked.

"That's what DiZ called us." Naminé said.

"I don't know why we have these powers. And... I don't even think there's a right or good way to use them." Kage said.

"Can't help you there." I looked at the picture-decorated wall. "It's weird. I feel like I don't know myself anymore..." I said.

"What do you two know about us... that we don't?" Roxas asked.

"The two of you..." Kage said.

"Were never suppose to exist." Naminé finished. I felt a huge sting in my chest.

"How can you say a horrible thing like that? Even if it's true?" I asked.

"Some things are better left unsaid." Kage said. There was a flash and we found ourselves outside.

"Did you guys see them?" Pence asked.

"Yeah. Look at the window." I said. He did, but all that was there was a curtain flapping in the wind. We headed back to the Usual Spot. We then went to the Clock Tower. Even though everyone else was a good mood, me and Roxas were haunted by Kage and Naminé's words.


	7. Accepting Reality(Day 6)

No one's Pov

 _In a matter of hours, Sora would awaken. All memories of him and the Princess were coming back to all who knew them. Ansem decided to have one last conversation with DiZ. Kudamon standing nearby._

 _"Why did you show them the train?" Ansem asked._

 _"Because they missed the trip to the beach." DiZ said._

 _"Hmph.. that's almost kind of you." Ansem said._

 _"Now... what about you? Are the holes in your memory starting to fill in?" DiZ asked._

 _"Yes... the haze is clearing. Though, there are some memories I'd be happy to never have back." Ansem said._

 _"You mean the ones of you inflicting pain on the princess?" DiZ asked. The man cringed at the mere thought of it. He remembered that one moment... when he allowed his lust, his darkness, to control his actions as he forced himself onto the girl he loved and shattered her innocence. He is tormented by the scene. Her cries and pleas for him to stop echo in his ears. The tears flowing from her pain-filled eyes etched into his mind. The feeling of her blood seeping from her body as he raped her burned his skin. He said it was to show that he loved her, but really it was a matter of marking territory._

 _"I've never had a night of peaceful sleep. Those memories will torture me even long after I've died. And now I can never ask for forgiveness." Ansem said._

 _"I offer my condolences. I did what I could, but there were far greater scars on the princess's heart. Ones from her past. Only by those events being corrected will her heart ever be fully healed." DiZ said. A small portal opened and out stepped the humanoid child Heartless and her Kokomon. "Ah, Kage." The small child Heartless ignore the man and walked over to Ansem, who picked her up. He sat down and placed the Heartless in his lap. Nayromon went over to Kudamon, who curled around her._

 _"I've waited, and now I want to know. What is it that you want?" Ansem asked._

 _"Revenge." DiZ answered. To this, Ansem clenched his fist and the Heartless glared at the man. Both Nyaromon and Kudamonquietly growled._

 _"Revenge." Ansem said._

 _"Now, for the finishing touches. First, dispose of her, Naminé and their pets." DiZ said. The glare in the Heartless' eyes turned to fear as she gripped onto the hooded man. Nyaromon jumped and stood in front of Kage. "They've done a splendid job in helping with Sora and Hikari, but it's high time they both disappeared. Roxas and Nikko weren't the only ones meant to never exist. Take care of it, Ansem." He does not reply. He simply takes Kage and Nyaromon to Naminé and Kyupimon, who were on Sunset Hill. He request that Axel take them into hiding, which he complies with._

 **Restoration at 97%**

* * *

 _Dream_

 _Gawrsh, is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?_

 _Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?_

 _But, once that happens... they'll become disconnected again._

 _What will happen to this world? What will happen to us?_

 _Well... this world is made up of the remains of destroyed worlds, so it may disappear. As for all of you, you'll return to your home worlds._

 _All worlds begin in darkness and all so end. The heart is no different. You see, darkness is the heart's true essence._

 _That's a lie!_

 _The heart may be weak and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out!_

 _Don't give up!_

 _We've come this far!_

 _Together we can beat him!_

 _Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness!_

 _You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts is light!_

 _Now, everyone! Let's close this door for good!_

 _Hikari._

 _Huh?_

 _The girl who helped pull the door closed was Hikari. That just means she's still out there._

 _Well, now what do we do?_

 _We've gotta Hikari's heart and King Mickey._

 _How are we going to do that?_

 _Yeah. Where do we start looking?_

 _And where would we start lookin' for that there door to the light?_

 _Pluto?_

 _Gawrsh, that's the King's seal!_

 _That's Hikari's Wayfinder!_

 _Hey, have you seen King Mickey and Hikari?_

 _Let's go!_

* * *

Day 6

No one's Pov

 _The two teens awoke. As they got out of bed, for a brief moment, Roxas became Sora and Nikko became Hikari. They stared at the sun hanging in the sky, unaware of what was to come very soon._

* * *

My Pov

Roxas and Idressed and went to the Usual Spot. I was still tired. I hadn't slept at all. Puroromon and Nyaromon were both just as tired.

"Man, me and Ni couldn't sleep at all last night..." Roxas said. It's almost like they were ignoring us. I went to grab Hayner's shoulder, but instead, my hand went through him. What? They ran right through me and Roxas. I noticed our picture on the radiator. I picked it up, but now, we weren't in the picture anymore.

"Wha... what's... happening?" I asked.

"It's time." Nyaromon said. We went outside and it was as silent as death. Suddenly, several Dusks appeared, blocking all exits. Then, Axel appeared behind us.

"Look at what it's come to. I've been given these icky orders to destroy you—if you refuse to come back with me." Axel said.

"The three of us... we're... best friends, right?" Roxas asked.

"Sure... but I'm not getting turned into a Dusk for... Wait a sec! You both remember now!?" Axel asked, seeming relieved and happy.

"Y..eah." I said.

"Great! But, you know, gotta make sure and all. So, umm... What's our boss's name?" Axel asked. I didn't know. Neither did Roxas. Axel was clearly disappointed. "Can't believe this..." We summoned our Keyblades. Nyaromon and Puroromon were once again cloaked in light.

 ** _"Nyaromon digivolve to... Salamon!"_**

 ** _"Puroromon digivolve to... FanBeemon!"_**

Together, we destroyed the Dusks. Axel went to attack us, but he froze.

 _"Roxas, Nikko, to the mansion!"_ We hurried toward the mansion before Axel unfroze.

* * *

Axel's Pov

I couldn't believe this. Those two weren't the same anymore.

"The Roxas and Nikko that I know are long gone. Fine, I see how it is..." I muttered to myself.

* * *

My Pov

We ran to the mansion, destroying each of these creatures. Soon, we came to the gate. It was chained shut and locked. Then more Dusks showed up.

"Don't call us then lock us out..." Roxas said. Then I remembered. Anytime Hikari and Sora found a Keyhole, they'd point their Keyblades at it. Roxas and I did the same and the lock disappeared. Roxas ran ahead of me and one of the Dusks grabbed me. Someone killed it. I looked to see the same guy who had been running into me and Roxas.

"Go. Reunite with her." the man said. I knew he meant Hikari. I hurried after Roxas. We hurried to the room where Naminé and Kage were the last time. They weren't there. I looked around and my eyes fell on a picture of me and Roxas. Suddenly, my head started hurting. A memory flashed through my mind. _Roxas and I were going to leave the Organization. Too much has happened. We walked past Axel._

 _"So, your minds are made up?"_ _Axel asked._

 _"Why did the Keyblade choose us?" Roxas asked._

 _"Why do I have these powers? Why do we have Digimon and these Crests? We have to know."_ _I said._

 _"You both can't turn on the Organization!"_ Axel exclaimed. We turned around to see Naminé and Kage.

"Organization XIII... are they good or evil?" I asked.

"Good or bad... I don't know. They're incomplete being who want to be whole again." Kage said.

"Hikari, being the Princess of Kingdom Hearts, has the power to give them what they search for. That's why you and Roxas were taken into the Organization, Nikko. Roxas is Sora's Nobody and you are Hikari's." Naminé said. I was the Nobody of a princess?

"I need to know one thing: What will happen to me and Nikko when we return to Sora and Hikari?" Roxas asked.

"You'll both..." Kage said. Her and Naminé suddenly digitized and vanished. Then that man, DiZ, appeared.

"There's no knowledge that can change your fate." DiZ said.

"We have a right to know what will become of us!" I said.

"They do! They need to know!" FanBeemon growled.

"You can't keep it from them" Salamon growled.

"A Nobody doesn't have the right to know. Nor does it have the right to be." DiZ said. Then, the man who saved me appeared.

"DiZ, we're out of time. Too many Nobodies!" the man exclaimed. A dark portal appeared next to DiZ. Inside it were Kage and Naminé.

"Nikko. Nobodies like you, Roxas and Naminé are only half a person. You won't disappear. You'll be whole again!" Kage said. Disappear?

"We'll... disappear...?" Roxas asked.

"No more further outbursts!" DiZ yelled. He grabbed Kage and Naminé.

"Leave them alone!" I cried.

"Roxas... Nikko... we'll meet again one day. I may not know it's the two of you and you two may not know it's me. But we'll meet again. I promise!" Naminé cried. With that everyone disappeared as quickly as they came. We left the white room and found the secret passage in the library.


	8. Our Final Good-bye

My Pov

We came a large set of monitors. Suddenly, the pain from before came back as more memories flooded back. One made me gasp in shock. _Both Roxas and I were fighting a boy with silver hair with a Kudamon. He had a blindfold over his eyes, but I knew who that boy was. Riku._

 _"Why? Why do you two have the Keyblade?" Riku asked._

 _"I don't know!"_ _I exclaimed._

 _"Shut up!" Roxas shouted. We both were about to deliver a final strike when Riku retaliated and knocked us both out while Kudamon knocked out FanBeemon and Salamon. He took us to this very room._

 _"Will it work?" Riku asked. His voice...He was the hooded man! Riku had been watching over me and Roxas the whole time._

 _"If we can maintain the simulated town until Naminé finishes chaining together Sora and Hikari's memories and until Kage finds all remain shards of the princess's heart." DiZ said._

 _"What will happen to Roxas and Nikko?" Riku asked._

 _"They hold half of Sora and Hikari's power within them. In the end, they'll have to give it back. Until then, we have to give them new personalities to throw off their pursuers." DiZ said._

 _"Poor things." Riku said._

 _"It's the fate of a Nobody." DiZ said. That's when me and Roxas ended up in this fake Twilight Town._ My head had stopped hurting. I looked at Roxas. He was just as mad as me. We summoned Kingdom Key and Starlight and began smashing the computer to pieces. I was panting by this point. We went into the next room and a swarm of Nobodies ambushed us. It took about twenty minutes, but we got rid of them all. After we caught our breath, Axel and Magmar showed up.

"Simply amazing, you two." Axel said.

"Axel..." Roxas muttered.

"You really do remember me this time? I'm SO FLATTERED..." Axel yelled. A wall of fire surrounded us "But you're too late!.." That's when I remembered; both Roxas and I could use two Keyblades. At that moment, Roxas's Kingdom Key split into Oathkeeper and Oblivion. My Starlight split into Angel's Light and Devil's Darkness. "Two!?" It was a very difficult battle, but we managed to defeat him. I remember the last time we saw Axel.

 _"If you get on their bad side, they'll destroy both you!" Axel exclaimed._

 _"No one would miss us." Roxas said._

 _"We're a lower form of Nobody. No one would even realize were gone." I said. Roxas and I walked forward, with Salamon and FanBeemon following behind._

 _"That's not true... I would." Axel said._

"Axel... I'm sorry, but we can't go back with you." I said.

"That's okay, Ni. You both have a golden opportunity to get what you wanted. To be whole again. Let's meet again, in the next life." Axel said.

"Yeah. We'll be waiting." Roxas said.

"Silly. Just because you and her have a next life..." Axel said. He and Magmar disappeared. We went onward into a hallway lined with thin pods. Inside two of them, I saw two familiar faces.

"Donald... Goofy..." I said. I looked toward the door at the end of the hallway. Hikari and Sora were in there. We entered the room to see DiZ standing in front of one of the large pods.

"At last, the Keyblade's chosen ones." DiZ said.

"Who are you talking to? Me and Nikko? Or Sora and Hikari?" Roxas asked.

"To half of Sora and half of Hikari, of course. You both reside in darkness. What I need is someone who can move about the realm of light and destroy Organization XIII." DiZ said.

"Why? Who are you?" I asked.

"I am a servant of this world. And, if I'm a servant, then you both should consider yourselves tools, at best." DiZ said. Was he trying to be funny!?

"Was that... Was that suppose to be a joke? 'Cause we're not laughing!" Roxas yelled. We attacked DiZ with our Keyblades, only for them to got through him.

"My apologies. This is only a data-based projection." DiZ said. Both of us screamed at the top of our lungs and continued to slash at the data version of DiZ. Soon it vanished and we could barely stand. FanBeemon and Salamon ran to us. "Over here." He appeared next to the pod.

"I hate you so much..." I said.

"You should share some of that hatred with Sora and Hikari. They're both far too nice for their own good." DiZ said.

"No! Our hearts belong to us!" He slashed at the projection, causing it to disappear. Then, the pod opened. It revealed Sora. Tears came to my eyes. "Sora... You're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation it... over." Roxas said as he started to disappear. FanBeemon disappeared before him.

"FanBeemon!" Salamon cried.

"Rox!" I cried. He sadly smiled at me.

"Go see if you can wake Hikari. She needs you Ni." Roxas said. He disappeared and merged with Sora. I nodded to myself. I went to the pod Hikari was in. Her body gently floated down. I cradled her in my arms.

"Hikari, you've got to wake up. Riku needs you. He hurting so much. If he loses you... his heart will break. You're the only one who will be able to heal his heart. Plus, if you don't wake up, so many people will be devastated. Please, wake up." I pleaded. I looked at Salamon as she disappeared. I placed my hand on her face before she vanished. I placed Hikari down and phased into her body.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _A mysterious train entered the station of Twilight Town. The only passenger; King Mickey._

* * *

Sora's Pov

 _"Sora?" a voice called._

 _"Who's there?" I asked._

"Sora!" That was Donald.

"Sora, wake up!" That was Goofy. I opened my eyes to the sound of their voices. The pod I was in opened. I stretched and yawned. I looked to see Donald and Goofy laughing. I jumped from the pod and hugged my friends. It felt like forever since I had seen them. That's when I remembered my one friend... the one I lost... Hikari.

"Sora, Goofy! Look!" Donald exclaimed. I looked to where Donald was pointing and saw her. Hikari. I ran over to her and scooped her up into my arms.

"Hikari! Hikari, open your eyes!" I cried. Nothing. I took a hold of her hand and placed it on my cheek. It was cold. It was like some kind of horrible nightmare come true. Tears flowed down my cheek and landed on her lifeless face as the truth hit me like an arrow in the heart. She was gone. Hikari was gone.


	9. Welcome Back, Hikari and Nyaromon

Sora's Pov

Tears poured from my eyes like rain. Donald and Goofy were crying too. How was I going to explain this to Riku and Kairi? That's when I felt something tickle my cheek. I slightly opened my eyes to see Hikari's thumb rubbing my cheek. I look down at her. Several more tears fell onto her face. She squinted her eyes and slowly opened them. Soon, those beautiful, sapphire eyes were open and looking at me. Her mouth formed a smile. Then, she spoke.

"Sora..." Her voice. It was more beautiful than an angel's melody. "Sora!" Hikari cried.

"Hikari!" I wrapped my arms around her and rocked back and forth. "Hikari... Hikari..." I repeated. So much relief and joy fluttered around in my heart.

"Hikari!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

"Donald! Goofy!" Hikari cried. They tackled me and her into hug. I never thought we'd ever be like this ever again. We started to head outside. I couldn't help but notice that Hikari's clothes had shrunk a lot. I could see her figure more clearly than before. My face turned red and I tried to avoid looking at her, afraid she'd punch it she caught me staring.

"Sora! Hikari! Look!" Donald said, pointing to two cases. Hikari opened them, revealing DemiVeemon and Nyaromon. They shook his body before turning around and seeing us.

"Sora!" DemiVeemon cried.

"Hikari!" Nyaromon exclaimed. Both of them jumped into our arms.

* * *

My Pov

"Nyaromon! I missed you!" I said. I hugged her she nuzzled my face. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"I missed you!" Nyaromon cried. After gathering ourselves, we headed outside. We carried our Digimon in our arms. I couldn't believe it. Despite all the odds that were against me, I was awake. And I felt so much joy. Not just that I was with Sora, Donald and Goofy again, but I remembered everything from my past. Funnily enough, there are these two girls I have memories of, but don't remember meeting; Naminé and Xion. Maybe some other part of me met them. But most importantly, I remembered him. The man who took my home, my parents, my brothers and my sisters from me. The Keyblade Master of Darkness; Xehanort. We walked out of the mansion and I stretched.

"Ahh... Fresh air." I said. Nyaromon shook herself, loving the sun on her fur. I noticed Sora was having a hard time looking at me and his face was red. "Sora, what's wrong? Are you sick?" I asked. I place a hand on his forehead. "You feel fine..."

"It's just... uhh... how do I say this without risking you punching me...?" I looked at him weird. "Hikari... don't your clothes feel a little... tight on you?" Sora asked. Tight? Now that he mentioned it, they did feel snug. Especially around my chest area. When we got into the town, I caught a reflection of myself. My shirt, which use to cover me was now four inches below my chest, exposing my stomach area. My skirt, which had been at my mid-thigh was now hugging my bottom kind of tightly. I pulled my hair to the front and looked at it. It had been just past my bottom, but now it was only a little ways above my ankles. And it was lighter, too. Have I been walking around like this!? I covered myself in embarrassment. "Don't worry. If any guy looks at you the wrong way, I'll pop him." I smiled at Sora.

"Thanks, Sora." I said. I looked at Sora more closely. He had changed a lot too. He was taller, his skin seemed to be tanner, his hair was a different style and his voice was deeper. His voice... I thought for a minute. His voice sounded just like Van's! Except Van's was a little deeper in pitch. Sora even looked like Van now(with obvious differences). His eyes though... It was as if Ven was here too. I felt tear slide down my cheek. I wiped it away. For some reason, we came to a place underneath the train tracks.

"You know, I think I've been to this town." Sora said.

"I was feeling the same." I said.

"What's it called?" Donald asked. I thought, but couldn't think of the name.

"I guess it was just a feeling." I said. We went to the back to see that this was some kind of hideout. There were three others teens here. Two boys and a girl.

"What do you want?" the boy asked.

"Uh, nothing. Just wondering what was back here." Sora said.

"Now you know. This is our spot." the boy sneered. The other boy looked at us weird.

"What?" I asked.

"You guys are new, right? I'm Pence." The other boy said, before walking past us.

"Hayner. Nice to meet you, but we got stuff to do, so catch you guys later." the boy said. The girl introduced herself.

"My name's Olette. Did you guys finish up the summer homework yet?" the girl asked.

"Homework?" Sora asked.

"Uhh... We don't live here. We're kind of passing through." I said.

"Hey, what're your names?" Pence asked.

"Oh, sorry. We're Sora, Hikari, Donald and Goofy." Goofy introduced us.

"Hey there." Sora said. Pence and Olette looked at each other.

"Sora, Hikari, Donald, Goofy, we just met someone who was looking for you." Olette said. Someone was looking for us?

"He sure seemed in a hurry. He had a black coat on so I couldn't see his face, but he had these big round ears." Pence said. Round ears? The only one I could think of was...

"Mickey!" I exclaimed.

"Where'd you see him?" Sora asked.

"At the station." Pence said.

"Thank you!" I said. Pence and Olette left to attend to an assignment they had.

"Oh boy! The King's trying to find us! Donald exclaimed.

"Yeah! Let's get to the station! You should be excited too Hikari. The last time we saw the King, Riku was with him." Sora said. My hear skipped a beat. Riku... Even after all the hurt he caused me... I knew this; I still loved him. I hoped Riku was with Mickey. I needed to talk to him. I need to see his face, hear his voice, feel his arms around me. I needed to make sure he was alright. I remember I had lost Terra to Xehanort and I almost lost Riku to him, too. I would find him. While I slept that whole time, I could hear Riku's voice. I would hear him crying, cursing all the horrible things he did to me and Sora. I would help him forget that. I made a silent promise.

'Riku, I'll find you. And I'll protect you no matter what.' I said in my heart.


	10. Strange Sensations

My Pov

We reached the station and almost instantly, I felt as though we were being watched. That's when these weird white creatures seemed to spiral out of the ground. Both DemiVeemon and Nyaromon started growling and hissing. I noticed the sigil on their heads. That looked like the Mark of Mastery Exam Sigil! Whatever these things were, we had to take them down.

"Well, we can see this as practice for getting back into the swing of things." I said. I summoned Starlight. We had to have been fighting for twenty minutes, but even after we defeated one group of them, another group showed up. Where were they coming from? Sora, Donald and Goofy collapsed from exhaustion. I guess their bodies still needed to recover and adjust, Nyaromon and DemiVeemon soon collapsed. I couldn't let these things hurt them, but I wouldn't be able to keep fighting for much longer. I could barely stand as it was. The rest of them charged right at me.

"Hikari!" Sora cried. I held up my Keyblade to defend Sora and the others. Just then, someone jumped around destroying the rest of the creatures. I looked at the person. It was Mickey! Sora got on his hands and knees and looked to make sure it was Mickey, but Donald and Goofy flatten him.

"Your Majesty?" Donald asked.

"Shh! You've gotta board the train and leave town! The train knows the way." Mickey said.

"Mickey!" I exclaimed. He turned to see me and was shocked.

"Hikari!? Is that really you?" I nodded. "I don't believe! DiZ said you'd never wake up!" Mickey exclaimed.

"I know. I'm happy to be awake. And I'm glad I got to meet you again! I never did thank you for saving me and Kairi all those years ago." I said.

"Huh? Your Majesty, you and Hikari have met before?" Goofy asked.

"Yes, but I don't have time to explain." Mickey said. He took out a pouch and handed it to me.

"Your Majesty..." Donald said. I turned to see Mickey leaving.

"Mickey, are Riku and Kudamon safe?" I called.

"Yes! They're fine!" Mickey said. I sighed with great relief. I felt Nyaromon wrap her tail around my leg.

"I'm glad they're okay." Nyaromon said.

"Was that really the King?" Sora asked.

"It coulda been... Yep, I know it was!" Goofy said.

"Now we know he's okay!" Donald said.

"The King was locked in the realm of darkness, right? But then we met him somewhere else along the way." Sora said.

"Uh huh." Goofy said.

"But we just saw him..." Sora said.

"Yeah." I said.

"And if the King is here, that means Riku's here!" Sora said. My heart fluttered at mention of Riku. DemiVeemon was happy too. He was best friends with Kudamon.

"That means Kudamon is too!" DemiVeemon said.

"He's gotta be!" Donald said.

"Well, me and Hikari are gonna go look for Riku. Then the three of us can go back to the islands together. Kairi's there waiting for us!" Sora said. She's been by herself for a year. I felt guilty leaving my cousin alone.

"Let's go! Donald, Goofy, what are you guys gonna do?" I asked. They both got the funniest looks on their faces.

"Gawrsh, Hikari. Do you have to ask?" Goofy asked. Both me and Sora started laughing. DemiVeemon and Nyaromon did too.

"Hey! What's so funny!?" Donald angrily asked.

"Your face!" Sora and me said in unison pointing at them. They looked at each other and realized how funny they looked. We all busted out laughing. I missed this so much.

"What do you say, guys? Let's stick together for one more journey." Sora said. We all nodded to this. He put his hands behind his head. "To... where again?" I face palmed myself. He looked at me with that innocent look in his eyes. "What?"

"Do you have short-term memory lost, Sora?" I asked.

"We hafta board the train!" Goofy said.

"Oh yeah!" He was hopeless. "C'mon!" Sora said. We hurried into the station.

"Sora! Hikari!" Hayner called. We turned to see Hayner, Pence and Olette.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, but..."Hayner said.

"We came to see you guys off. It just seemed like something we oughta do." Pence said.

"That's sweet of you guys. Thank you." I said. I heard a train whistle.

"You should hurry and get your tickets." Olette said. I pulled out the pouch of Munny that Mickey had given to me. Olette pulled out the same pouch. How were there two? I shrugged to myself and bought four tickets. Suddenly I felt sad. I could tell Sora was feeling it too.

"I can't help feeling like we won't see this town again..." I said.

"Why not?" Donald asked.

"I can't explain. It's just this feeling I have in my heart." I said. I gripped the spot where my heart was.

"You're thinkin' too much!" Goofy said. Sora placed a hand on my shoulder.

"He's right! We'll see this town again Hikari." Sora said. We went to the platform where the train was. "Okay, let's go!" Donald and Goofy stepped into the train, waving good-bye to the others.

"Bye." I said.

"Hey, Hikari. Are you sure we haven't met you and Sora before?" Hayner asked.

"Positive. Why?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno." Hayner said. All of sudden, I felt sad. A tear came from my eye. I looked at Sora and the same. Then we snapped out of it. Where did that come from?

"You two okay?" Pence asked.

"Yeah. Put it all together." He patted his cheeks a couple times. "Right... See ya." Sora said. We boarded the train and the doors closed. I sat down in one of the seat while Sora stood with his head resting against the door. I looked at the pouch. I squeezed it and felt something in there. I pulled out two crystals, one white and one blue.

"Sora." I said. I handed him the blue crystal and he looked at it.

"You know... I'm sad." Sora said.

"We'll come back." Donald said.

"Yeah. We can visit Hayner and those guys again." Goofy assured us. We both nodded. Soon, the outside changed to a green scenery. I scooted over so Sora could sit next to me.

"Sora... do you mind it I lay my head on your lap and sleep a little?" I asked. He looked at me kind of funny at first, but nodded. I curled up in the seat and laid my head on Sora's lap. Nyaromon curled up to Veemon, like she had done with Falcomon. He started to stroke my hair, just like Ven always did. I closed my eyes and I remembered how Ven would always let me sleep in his lap.

* * *

 _Flashback(12 years)_

No one's Pov

 _Ventus and his Falcomon sat outside on the castle steps. On his lap, a four year-old Hikari and next to Falcomon was Nyaromon. She was fast asleep as it was night. They was peacefully sleeping near the two, smiling. The smile was a sign they was having happy dreams. Ventus and Jolteon were smiling themselves. To them, Terra, Gaomon, Aqua and Penguinmon, Hikari and Nyaromon was the definition of purity and innocence. They were sweet, gentle, warm and kind. They were never envious or hateful toward anyone. Ventus looked at the small child as she slept. He affectionately stroked her hair. Realizing how late it was, the fourteen year-old gently moved Hikari into his arms and went back inside the castle. Falcomon gently picked up Nyaromon and followed his Tamer._


	11. Master Yen Sid

My Pov

I woke up to the feeling of someone shaking me. I remembered where I was and that it was Sora shaking me.

"Hikari, we're almost there." Sora said. The train came to a stop and the doors opened. We all stepped out and looked to see a tall tower. Wait, that was the Mysterious Tower. Master Yen Sid was here! I heard a sound behind me and saw the train vanished. I laughed nervously.

"That's scary..." Nyaromon said, a little nervous.

"Creepy..." DemiVeemon said.

"That's spooky..." I said.

"There goes our ride..." Sora said. We went to the tower entrance, but saw someone peeking into the castle.

"What's goin' on?" Donald asked.

"I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and tough as they say. Word is, he's a real powerful sorcerer. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how tough he is-once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!" the person said. Wait, that voice... It sounded so familiar...

"A Heartless!?" Donald exclaimed.

"That's right. They're those things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything!" the person said. Maleficent!? It was strange, but I had seen a memory of Sora defeating her. "And since I've got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' a Heartless army, special for her. Why am I talkin' to you pipsqueaks anyway?"

"You should find a better use of your time." I said. The person turned around and the name came back. It was Pete!

"Says who? Wha... AAAH! It's you!" Pete exclaimed.

"Pete!" Me, Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

"You guys know him?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, but... How do you know him Hikari?" Donald asked.

"It was during Disney Town's Dream Festival a long time ago. He was parading around, claiming he was some big shot hero." I said.

"You! You're that little runt!" Pete exclaimed.

"Yep. I was told Minnie locked you away. How'd you escape?" I asked.

"You wanna know how, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now your world- no, no, no, all the worlds- are gonna belong to yours truly. Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!" Pete yelled.

"Maleficent... huh." Sora said. We all started laughing.

"What are you laughing at!? Why, Maleficent's power is so great-" Pete said.

"She toast." I said.

"Sorry, but Maleficent can't help ya now." Goofy said.

"What'd ya mean?" Then he pieced it together. "You! So you're the ones that did it!" Pete said. Sora put his hands behind his head and acted like we weren't at fault.

"Well, we mighta had something to do with it."

"Heartless squad! Round up!" Several Shadow Heartless began coming out of the ground. This was what I was use to.

"Tail Whip." Nyaromon said. She puffed up her tail and then struck several Heartless.

"Pop Attack." DemiVeemon said. DemiVeemon rammed into several Heartless while hopping about. "You just wait! Nobody, and I mean nobody messes with the mighty Pete!" Pete exclaimed.

"So, 'mighty' Pete, who lives in this old tower, anyway?" Sora asked. I knew the answer to that.

"Mickey's teacher, Master Yen Sid." I said. With that, I ran into the tower, with Nyaromon close behind.

"Hikari, wait up!" Sora called. After going up several flights of stairs and fighting off the Heartless that were in here, we managed to make it to Master Yen Sid. Nyaromon and DemiVeemon had digivolved back to Salamon and Veemon. Me, Salamon, Donald and Goofy bowed when we saw him.

"Master Yen Sid! It's an honor!" Donald said.

"Hey there!" Sora said. My eyes widen in shock. I grabbed Sora by his jacket and pulled him down to where he was bowing. Salamon basically pounced on Veemon to get him to bow.

"Sora, you need to show respect!" I scolded.

"You too, Veemon!" Salamon said. Master Yen Sid didn't seem to mind.

"So, you are Sora. Now then, have you seen the King yet?" Yen Sid asked.

"Yes, but we didn't really have chance to talk to him." I said. Master Yen Sid explained about everything that had been happening while we were asleep. He also told of the Nobodies and Organization XIII.

"I can't believe we have to go on another quest." Sora said. I looked at Sora. "I wanted to find Riku so the three of us could go back home. I promised Kairi that all of us would come back."

"Yes. I know. However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands... Whether you and Hikari will return alone or with your friend... And, whether or not the islands will still be there. And the key that connects them all is you, Sora." Yen Sid said.

"I'm... the key?" Sora asked. He held out his hand and Kingdom Key appeared.

"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade! You are the key that will open the door to light." I knew Master Yen Sid was right. "So, before you go, you will need suitable traveling clothes. Those look a bit too small for you." Yen Sid said. No kidding. We went into the next room and saw Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.

"Flora! Fauna! Merryweather!" I exclaimed. The three fairies turn to me and gasped in amazement.

"Oh my! Hikari? Is that really you?" Flora asked. I nodded.

"What lovely young lady you've become!" Merryweather exclaimed. I blushed. They pulled Sora forward and, after some disputing on his clothes, waved their wands together and gave Sora his new clothes. His new outfit was much like his old one. The hoodie was colored black, with silver pauldron-like additions to his sleeves and white lining. His undershirt was a navy blue with a red patch in the center. His pants, similar to chaps, were colored black on the outside, and a navy blue on the inside, lined with silver-white edging. Yellow straps crisscross around his pants, held together with a black belt. The pants feature red pockets with a black cross over them. His gloves were colored black on the outside and white on the inside with a yellow line running around them. He also wore large black-yellow shoes with silver soles, a zipper running across the top, and black straps holding them together with buckles here and there. Sora's crown pendant was present on this attire.

"Your turn, dear." Fauna said. I stepped forward. They waved their wands together and my clothes changed dramatically. I now wore a plain white sun dress that stopped just slightly enough to where it showed the cuffs of the traditional royal blue Capri pants I wore underneath. Over the bodice of the dress, I wore a tank top with azure blue outlining the neck, arm holes and hem and two lines of the same color went straight up on the front, leaving an open space in between them. In the space was the silver Kingdom Hearts sigil. On my feet were Alice blue sneakers(exactly like the sneakers Kairi wears now). The four bracelets on my wrist had turned into four pearl bracelets that were royal blue, ice blue, pearl white and light silver.

"Wow!" Donald exclaimed.

"You look beautiful, Hikari!" Goofy said.

"Man! If Riku saw you now, he'd probably faint from how amazing you look." Sora said. My face was beet red at this point.

"Also, a woman had left this in our care." Flora said. She handed me a box. I opened it to see a beautiful tiara and a small version of it. "That woman was your mother, Hikari. She asked us to hold onto this and give it to you when the time was right. I think that time is now." I looked at the tiara. It was a gold tiara with curved designs making out the top of it, five pearls lined on the band and a red-pink gem on the top(You'd have to look at Aikatsu; Queen Tiara for a better idea). The fairies explained the power of our clothes and went back to Master Yen Sid. He had summoned the gummi ship!

"Hikari, you will not need the gummi ship to travel. Go outside and toss your Keyblade into the air." Yen Sid said. I did as he said and Starlight became a Keyblade Gilder. Its shape was identical to Ven's. We left to journey forth to, once again, save the worlds.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _Unknown to the four friends, they were being watched. From the tower window of the room they had only been in moments ago stood the evil fairy, Maleficent. She watched them, but had her attention mainly focused on the princess._

 _"Ah, Hikari. The Princess of Kingdom Hearts and the princess of Riku's heart. Things have become more interesting." the evil fairy cackled._


	12. Hollow Bastion

**Okay, the pictures for Hikari's forms are on my Deviant Art account; surviorlaura.**

* * *

My Pov

After leaving the Mysterious Tower and Twilight Town, we found there was only one world that was accessible. Hollow Bastion. We landed into the world. I was happy to be here, because I would be able to see Leon and the others. They probably thought I was lost for good. I couldn't wait to see them. I looked around and noticed how different the world looked now.

"Uh-oh. Looks like we're gonna have to do some fightin'." Goofy said. I looked in the distance to see two Solider Heartless just has they vanished. Great. We traveled through the town and ran into Donald's uncle, Scrooge McDuck.

"Oh, Uncle Scrooge!" I said. He turned around and stared at me.

"My, my! Little Hikari, is that you?" I nodded. "What a beautiful young lady you've become! I can't believe it's been ten years since I last saw you." Scrooge said.

"Uncle Scrooge, what are you doing here?" Donald asked.

"I'm tryin' to recreate my favorite old-time ice cream. I'd make millions if I just got it right..." Scrooge said. He took a taste of the ice cream bar he had in his hand, but grimaced at the flavor. "Terrible...!"

"Don't worry, you'll get it right." I said.

"Thank ya, lass. I think you should being headin' over to Merlin's house. That's where Leon and the others are at. I'm sure that they'll be overjoyed to see ya!" Scrooge said. I nodded. We headed toward Merlin's house. We came close to it when some strange sphere started popping up out of the ground.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sora asked.

"That's the town's defense mechanism." a voice said. Who was that? I looked around and happened to look up. It was Yuffie! On her shoulder was Wormmon.

"Yuffie!" I said.

"Wormmon!" Salamon said. They saw us and gasped.

"Hikari...? Salamon? Is that really you?!" Yuffie asked. I nodded. Her joy turned to fear in second. "Look out!" I turned just in time to slash at a Dusk the charged for me. Several more appeared. I actually had to switch into my Valor Form to get rid of them. I reverted after all of them had been dealt with. Yuffie jumped for where she was and tackled me in a hug. "I can't believe you're okay! Wormmon jumped on Salamon, happy to see her.

"We've missed you two so much!" Wormmon said.

"I'm sorry for worrying everyone." I said.

"Don't worry about. Everyone will be so happy to see you. I see you guys are still in top form." Yuffie said.

"What'd you expect? Looks like you're doing okay." Sora said.

"Well, what did YOU expect?"Yuffie asked.

"How are the others?" Donald asked.

"Great!" Yuffie said.

"Yuffie, have Riku or Mickey been here?" I asked. She turned and started walking.

"Nope." Yuffie said. I knew it. "But I had a feeling I'd see you guys again. Including Hikari." Yuffie said.

"'We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other.'" Sora said. Who was he quoting?

"Is that suppose to be Leon?" Yuffie asked.

"Leon said that?" I asked.

"Yep." Sora said.

"Everyone's working on stuff at Merlin's house." Yuffie said. We followed Yuffie to where Merlin's house was now since Hollow Bastion was so different now. We got to the house, but Sora stopped me.

"Hikari, wait out here for a minute. It'd be better if you surprise everyone." Sora all thought it was a good idea. I hid to the side while everyone else went in. I heard the conversation and soon I was brought up.

"It's too bad Hikari isn't with us anymore..." Leon said.

"I hope she's in a better place now." Aerith said.

"Kid had a good heart. Her sacrifice was probably the noblest thing I've ever heard..." Cid said. Aww. They all missed me. Sora secretly signaled me from the doorway.

"Oh, you guys are so sweet." I said. Salamon and I stepped into the room and all of them looked at us wide-eyed. I smiled at them sweetly.

"Hikari!" Aerith exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around me and I hugged her back. Lalamon nuzzled Salamon.

"Welcome back, your highness." Cid said.

"You're alright..." Leon said. I looked at everyone.

"Come on, you guys. There was no way you were getting rid of me that easily!" I said. Everyone laughed at my statement.

"I knew it." Leon said.I cocked my head to a side.

"Knew what?" Sora asked.

"Awhile back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys all at the same time." Leon said. Remembered?

"You mean... you forgot us?" I asked. For some reason it didn't surprise me. Like I knew that there was a reason they forgot us.

"Are you kidding me!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Thanks!" Donald huffed.

"Oh, yeah! Hikari, a girl named Yami has been living here the past year. She says she knows you." Yuffie said. Yami? Wait, that's my sister!

"Yeah! She's my older sister. Where is she?" I asked.

"She's with your grandmother, near the edge of the square. Hikari... there's something you should know-" Aerith began, but I cut her off.

"You can tell me when I get back." I said. I hurried out the door.

* * *

Sora's Pov

Everyone seemed worried after Hikari left.

"What's Hikari suppose to know?" I asked.

"Sora, did anything happen with Hikari and Riku before she lost her heart?" Leon asked. I thought.

"What do you mean?" They got even more nervous.

"What Leon means is; did they get into a fight that turned ugly?" Cid explained.

"Sora..." Donald said. I looked at him.

"What?" I asked.

"Remember a year ago on Captain Hook's ship? When we found Wendy, Hikari and Kairi... Hikari looked a little too relieved when we found her." Goofy reminded me.

"And she looked like she had been crying." Donald said. I thought back. Hikari did seem really relieved. A little too much.

"There... was a reason for that." Aerith said.

"What?" What Aerith said made my heart stop. "No... way... Riku would never do that!" I shouted.

"He didn't do it willingly. Ansem forced him to do it." Yuffie explained.

"How do you even know this is true?" I asked.

"Because, three months ago... Yami produced the proof." Leon said. I thought for a minute. What proof could she have possibly... Then it hit me.

"You mean..." I said.

* * *

My Pov

If I remembered correctly, Grandma's house was right over... there! I spotted the house. My heart was racing. This would be the first time I've ever seen my sister. I knocked on the door. I heard a voice response from inside. My guess it was Yami.

"It's open Grandma." Yami said. Grandma must have stepped out. I opened the door and saw Yami sitting in a chair. Laying at her feet was a Viximon. She looked up and her eyes widen with both shock and happiness. "Hikari?" Tears flowed down her face as they did mine.

"Yami!" I cried. We embraced and it was like I could feel sixteen years of my sister's love pouring into my heart.

"It's you! I can't believe you're awake!" Yami cried.

"I'm happy to see you, too! We have sixteen years of catching up to do." I said. She nodded, but then her smiled dropped.

"Hikari... Did Leon or anyone say anything to you about something important?" Yami asked.

"Aerith was trying to tell me something, but I was so excited to see you, I left before she could tell me." I said. Suddenly, a small cry interrupted the conversation. Yami walked over to a cradle that was on the floor and took out the bundle that was lying in it. "You're a mom?!"

"No, this baby isn't mine..." Yami said.

"Who's is it?" I asked. She gulped and turned to me. She moved some of the blanket out of the way so I could see the baby's head. The baby had ice blue hair.

"He's yours." Yami said.


	13. The Organization

My Pov

I stared at my sister, shocked by what she had just said.

"Wh-What do you mean he's mine?" I asked.

"It's true. He's yours and Riku's." Yami said. I shook my head.

"That's crazy! Me and Riku never-" That's when the image flashed through my head. That time... when Riku... raped me... he didn't pull out. He had released inside me. "But, how is he here? I thought he would have died when I lost my heart." I said.

"I did too. When I went to check up on you one day, an orb of light came from the pod you were in and... there he was." Yami said. I slowly stepped closer. My son opened his little eyes to reveal they were like mine. "Wanna hold him?" I gulped, unsure if I even had a right to hold him. "Come on. Sit here." I sat in a small rocking chair. She handed my baby to me and made sure to support his head.

"You may have my hair and eye color, but you looked just like your daddy." I said. My baby boy giggled, like he understood me. "What's his name?"

"He's your baby. I didn't want to give him a name you didn't want for him." Yami said. I looked down at my son. That's when the name popped into head.

"Taiyō." I said.

"Taiyō... that means 'sun'." Yami said. I nodded.

"Because he'll be the warm light that brightens the cold darkness in mine and Riku's lives." Salamon tried to see him. I lowered him down enough to where she could. Her eyes lit up. "Speaking of, does Riku know about him?" I asked. Yami sadly shook her head.

"No. Anytime I tried to tell him about it, DiZ would call him away and always kept him from finding out." Yami said. I looked down at Taiyo. He needed both his parents.

"I can't stay Yami, but I swear I'll come back with Riku so Tai has both his parents." I said. She took Tai out of my arms.

"Well, I'll take care of him as long as what's needed. Just be safe. I don't want to lose you again. And I don't want little Tai to be without his mommy." Yami said. I gave her a thumbs up before a headed out the door and back to Sora. They had left Merlin's house and went toward the bailey.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" I called. They turned to see me.

"Hikari..." Sora said.

"What's wrong?" That's when I realized Leon and the others must have told them. "So... you know?" I asked.

"Yeah." It was awkward for a few seconds. "But... I'm happy that you and Riku have a kid, Hikari. Your baby's a symbol of the connection between you two." Sora said.

"Sora. We need to find Riku even more now." I said.

"What's your baby's name?" Goofy asked.

"My son's name is Taiyō. It means 'sun'." I said.

"Why'd you name him that?" Donald asked.

"Because he's the warm light that will brighten the cold darkness of mine and Riku's lives." I said.

"Perfect name." Sora said.

"What's going on? Why are you guys here?"" I asked,

"Leon needs us for something." Sora said. We headed over to the bailey and saw Leon. Liollmon was standing next to him. We went over to him and he motioned us to look toward the Great Maw. Surrounding it was a pit full of Heartless. Then, I noticed two Dusks going toward it.

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion the way it use to be. Maybe even better. But the Heartless and Nobodies are proving to be a problem." Leon said.

"We'll take care of it Leon." I said.

"Happy to hear. Do you guys know what's going?" Leon asked.

"Well, I guy named Pete is releasing Heartless into many world and as for the Nobodies... they're controlled by a group named Organization XIII." I said.

"You called?" a voice asked. What the hell? We looked around to find the source of the voice. We hurried to a different area to see who it was.

"You're doing well." a second voice said. Sora and I summoned our Keyblades.

"Who's that!?" Sora asked.

"This calls for a celebration..." the first voice said. Nobodies started popping up everywhere. Donald and Goofy went to take care off some of them while me, Sora and Leon defended the gate from the rest. I hated to admit it, but the Nobodies seemed stronger than the Heartless. It took a long time, but we manage to get rid of them all. "The Keyblade... a truly marvelous weapon. Were it only in more... capable hands." Cruel laughter followed that statement.

"Show yourselves, you cowards!" I shouted. A heard a sound and looked up. First there was one, but soon five more showed up.

"Good. Now we can settle this!" Sora said.

"What a shame... And here I thought we could be friends." the first said. With that, they all laughed and vanished.

"Stop!" He ran to stop them, only to have one appear in front of him. "What's the big idea!?" Donald snapped.

"Oopsy-daisy!" the man exclaimed.

"Move it!" I said.

"Now do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" the man said.

"Are you deaf? I said move it!" I yelled.

"As if! You can talk all you want your Majesty, but that won't change a thing." the man said.

"Then we're gonna MAKE you move!" Donald shouted.

"See, that would work - if I were just any old dude. 'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing "any old" about me." the man said.

"Ha! Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkies did the fighting!" Sora said.

"Oh, dear. I think you got the wrong impression." the man said.

"You gonna cry?" Sora scoffed.

"As if! Why don't I remind you two how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?" the man asked.

"Remind us?" I asked. Sora glared at the unknown person.

"That's RIGHT, he used to give me that same exact look." the man said. He? Who was the 'he' this guys was talking about?

"I guess you think you can psych me out by saying a bunch of random stuff!" Sora said.

"Gee... I just don't know. Be a good boy and good girl now!" the man said and disappeared.

"That was weird. WHO gave him the same look?" Sora asked.

"Y'know, I think he was just tryin' to confuse ya." Goofy said. Veemon tugged on Sora's pant-leg.

"Don't pay the Nobodies any mind, Sora." Veemon said.

"There's only one you, Sora." I said. He pulled out a card from his pocket.

"Here, Hikari. It's an honorary member card for the restoration committee." Sora said. I reached for the card, but it suddenly started to glow. It floated up into the air and both of our Keyblades began to glow. We pointed them to the ground. Underneath Sora appeared a shining crown symbol like the one he wore around his neck and the Kingdom Hearts sigil appeared under me. There was a blast of wind and suddenly the scenery around us changed. The card shot a beam of light upward to reveal a Keyhole. We pointed our Keyblades at it and opened a new path.

"That must have been the gate Master Yen Sid mentioned." I turned to Leon. "We've gotta go Leon! There are other worlds out there that need help." I said.

"Just be safe out there. Especially you, Hikari. You got a reason not to die on us." Leon said.

"I'll be fine. Tell Yami and my Grandma not to worry." I said. We hurried off. Sora and the others rode in the gummi ship while I rode of my glider, which I name Starry Twilight.


	14. Land of Dragons

My Pov

We came to an entirely different world we hadn't been to before and one I hadn't been to in the past. We ended up in a bamboo thicket. Where had we ended up?

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot." Sora said.

"What is it?" I asked. Sora dug through his pockets and pulled out something.

"These." Sora said. My Wayfinder and Crest! I gladly took them back and placed the Crest around my neck. We came around a corner and I saw a solider. He looked like he was cowering from a sinister looking shadow.

"A Heartless?" Donald asked.

"Let's get the jump on 'im!" Sora exclaimed.

"Gawrsh, maybe we better look before we leap." Goofy said. Sora and Donald ran out into the open.

"Wait, you guys!" I yelled. Me and Goofy ran to catch them. I caught a glimpse of something red leap from behind the rock and hid behind the solider.

"Is that Mushu?" Goofy asked. Mushu?

"That's right, I know you've heard of me! I'm little, lethal and legendary! Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!" Mushu exclaimed.

"Hey, Mushu! We missed you!" Sora said.

"Yeah, well you better HOPE I miss YOU, or else you're-you're... Sora! Donald! Goofy! Kage?" Mushu asked. Kage?

"My name isn't Kage. It's Hikari." I said.

"Oh, you're princess that Sora kept talking about." Mushu said.

"Do you know them?" the soldier asked.

"KNOW them!? Man, we use to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together! Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots. 'Cause I'm a mighty dragon! Right?" Mushu said. Mushu leaned on Sora's leg. Sora moved his leg, causing Mushu to fall backwards.

"Something like that. And... you are?" Sora asked.

"I'm Mulan. Um, no I-I mean..." the soldier stammered.

"Ping!" Mushu said.

"Mulan Ping?" Donald asked.

"Just... Ping. I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou." Ping said.

"You know Mushu?" Sora asked.

"Mushu's one of my family's guardians." Ping said.

"Wow. I'm glad to know that some else's guardian was keeping my friends safe when I wasn't there." I said.

"That's right! And that puts you four up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here. Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!" Mushu said.

"Mushu..." Ping said.

"Ah, they don't mind. Ain't that right?" Mushu asked.

"Sounds fair." Sora said.

"See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial army. We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp." Mushu said.

"Would you join us? It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys like you." Ping said.

"What do you mean 'fit in'?" Sora asked.

"I get it now." Goofy said.

"Me too. Your real name is Mulan and your disguising yourself as guy, right?" I asked. Sora and Donald looked at Mulan in shock.

"You're a... girl?" Sora asked, shocked.

"You didn't notice?" Sora and Donald shook their heads. "I think it's working." Mulan said.

"I don't know- those two would fall for anything." Mushu said.

"Hey!" Donald snapped.

"I'm right here!" Sora said.

"Well, let's go!" I said.

"Hold it, your highness. It's not safe for you to go there unless you have a death wish." Mushu said.

"What'd ya mean?" Goofy asked.

"Women aren't allowed to join the army. It's the law that only men serve, as it is a matter of honor. If women try to join, the penalty is death." Mulan said.

"WHAT?!" the four of us exclaimed. I had too much to live for now. Riku, Tai, Kairi, Sora, Yami, Ven, Van, Terra, Aqua. I couldn't risk anything.

"I'll just wait till nightfall and sneak in." I said.

"No way! You'll have to do what Mulan's doing and look like a guy." Sora said. How in the hell was I suppose to do that?

"I can help you." Mulan said. She pulled me into the brush.

* * *

Sora's Pov

What was Mulan going to do. It was awhile before she Hikari came out from behind the brush.

"Whoa!" we all exclaimed. Hikari had her hair tied up a bun and wore the same armor as Mulan, but hers was black and white.

"Perfect!" Hikari said.

"Not quite. You need a new name and you have to do something with your voice." Mushu said. She coughed several times, trying to deepen her voice.

"How... is... **this?"** Hikari asked.

"Wow!" Donald exclaimed.

"Doesn't Hikari sound a little like-" Goofy said.

"Riku." I said.

 **"Really?"** Hikari asked.

"Yeah. Now your name... How about Hikaru?" I suggested.

 **"Yeah. I like that."** Hikari said.

"Alright. Just remember, one slip and the girls are in hot water." Mushu said. We all nodded and headed toward the camp.

* * *

My Pov

It was strange how my voice sounded like Riku's. Maybe it was because of the bond we had? Maybe. Soon, we came to the camp. While the rest of us were walking normally, Mulan started walking in a weird way.

 **"Mu-, I mean Ping, why are you walking like that?"** I asked.

"I have to be manly. Isn't this how men walk?" Ping asked.

 **"No. Just walk normally. If you walk like that, you'll draw attention to yourself."** I said. She immediately started walking normally. I saw some soldiers standing in a line. I wonder why? Sora went to stand in line, but some short guy pushed him out of the way.

"Hey, no cutting!" Sora exclaimed. The guy turned and punched him right in the face!

 **"Sora!"** I looked at the guy who had the nerve to punch my friend in the face. **"You bastard!"** I exclaimed. I tackled him to the ground and started punching the crap out of him. Then, a skinny guy grabbed me. Salamon retaliated by biting him on the leg.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" Salamon snapped. Veemon headbutted the solider who punched Sora.

"And don't you dare touch my partner!" Veemon said.

"Hands off!" Donald shouted. Soon we were all fighting.

"Please!" Ping cried. We all looked at Ping.

"Please!" the first soldier mocked.

"What a girl!" the second soldier said. Oh no!

"Uh... Knock it off!" Ping said.

"Knock what off?" the second soldier asked.

"You punched me!" Sora shouted.

"Cutting in line!" Donald asked.

"Let's just get back in line. If I'm right, that's the captain coming toward us." I said. The soldiers looked and stood at attention. We did the same. Soon, Heartless started coming out of the ground. "I hope your ready for this Ping."


	15. Prove Your Worth

My Pov

After getting rid of the Heartless, the Captain(Li Shang), came up to us.

"You four. What are your names?" the captain asked.

"Sora." Sora said.

"Donald." Donald said.

"Goofy." Goofy said.

 **"Hikaru."** I said.

"You are welcome to my troop. Your battle skills are encouraging." the captain said.

"I am the son of Fa Zhou-" Ping said.

"You should return home." the captain said.

"B-but... That would dishonor my family!" Ping said.

"You'd rather dishonor my troops?" the captain asked. What was with this guy? Ping had shown just as much potential as the rest of us.

"Don't make me-!" Ping said, but stopped. We all looked at Ping.

"Captain, I assure you Ping is just as much a soldier as anyone else here." I said. He seemed to take what I said into consideration.

"Alright. I've received intel of enemies lurking in several areas. I want the five of you to deal with them. If Ping shows improvement after finishing these missions, I'll reconsider letting him join the army." the captain said. We went on the three missions the Captain assigned and completed them without much difficultly. He told us he heard that Shan-Yu's army was heading toward the city through the mountains. He headed that way. I looked toward Sora and sighed. Every time I looked at Sora, I did a double take. The first time I'd look at him, I'd see Van or Ven instead. I felt a growing pain spreading in my chest. I missed them.

"Hikaru?" Sora asked. I snapped out of my daze.

 **"Nothing. You're too much of a worrywart, Sora."** I said. Salamon could sense my sadness and nuzzled my leg.

"You even talk like Riku, Hikari." Sora said. I thought about it and I did. Soon, we came to the village that was set near the mountain. The Captain followed close behind.

"Ping sure did great!" Goofy said.

"You bet he did!" Donald said.

"Hmm... Fine. I'll let you join my troops... But I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to be a worthy soldier." the captain said.

 **"You've got to be kidding!"** I said.

"Why not!?" Sora asked.

"Sora, Hikaru, it's all right. I'll find a way to show him what I'm made of. Just give me a chance." Ping said.

"That's the spirit, Ping." the captain said. I noticed a cave just outside the village.

"Maybe Shan-Yu is hiding in there." I said. We decided to check it out, but found nothing. We went to leave, but as soon as Donald and Goofy were on the other side of cave a barrier separated them from me, Sora and Ping.

"Sora! Hikaru!" Donald cried.

"Ping!" Goofy cried. Then Heartless showed up. Shan-Yu may not have been here, but he did set up a trap.

"Puppy Howl!" Salamon exclaimed.

"V-Headbutt." Veemon exclaimed. Both attacked and got rid of the Heartless and the barrier separating us from Donald and Goody dropped.

"Come on! We need to hurry." I said. We hurried outside to see that the village had been destroyed. Smoke was still rising from the burnt remains of the houses. This had just happened. Shan-Yu had to have attacked while the rest of us were in the cave.

"Captain!" Ping exclaimed. We hurried over the Captain Li, who was obviously badly wounded.

"Don't overdo it, Captain!" Sora said.

"It's just a scratch." the captain said. He fell to his knees in pain.

 **"No. You're seriously hurt. Don't push yourself."** I said.

"Captain, the enemy! Where did they go?" Ping asked.

"They went toward the summit..." the captain said.

"We'll stop them!" Ping said.

"It is kind of our fault..." Goofy said.

"You mean my fault." Mushu said. He had been the one to tell me about the possibly of Shan-Yu hiding out in the cave.

"Mushu, Shan-Yu did this. You were trying to help Ping. That's what a family guardian is suppose to do." I said. We hurried toward the summit and spotted Shan-Yu at the very top. Soon dozen of Heartless came up from behind them and started to charge toward us. There were so many of them that it took forever to get rid of them all. I started feeling dizzy.

"Hikaru, are you alright?" Ping asked. I simply nodded. My body was feeling heavy for some reason. Shan-Yu started charging at us with two rows of Heartless following close behind him. The three soldiers we met a couple days ago(Ling, Yao and Chien-Po)showed up with a cannon. Yao pointed the cannon at Shan-Yu. Then Ping did the craziest thing. He elbowed Yao, grabbed the cannon and ran toward the enemy.

 **"Ping, stop!"** I said. He knelt down and instead of pointing the cannon at Shan-Yu, he pointed it toward the mountain. Why was he...? That's when it hit me. He would cause an avalanche to bury the Heartless and Shan-Yu. Ping used Mushu to light the cannon. Unfortunately, the poor dragon jumped on the cannon and launched into the air with it.

"You're going the wrong way!" Mushu yelled. The cannon made contact with the mountain causing the ice and snow that had coated the mountain to fall, creating a tsunami of white.

"Run!" Sora yelled. We all hurried to the safety of the rock foundations that were to the side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Rapid Thruster Heartless was charging toward Sora.

 **"Sora, look out!"** I said. He turned to look at me just as I pushed him out of the way. He was out of harm's way, but I had just put myself right in it's path. The Heartless rammed into me and knocked me off the cliff just as the avalanche washed over the area. ' _Figures. I wasn't able to help for long. I wanted to at least find Riku and tell him about our son. I guess that was just an impossible idea. Riku... I wish I could have seen you one last time. I love you.'_ I closed my eyes as I fell toward the bed of jagged rocks below.


	16. Shan-Yu, Leader of the Huns

Sora's Pov

My eyes widen. My stomach lurched forward. My heart halted to a stop. Hikari pushed me out of the way and was hit by the Heartless instead. It knocked her off the cliff just as the avalanche washed over the entire area. As soon as the avalanche subsided, I ran to the cliff.

"Hikaru! HIKARU!" I screamed. I was screaming to the top of my lungs for Hikari.

"Hikaru!" Salamon cried. I had to go find her. I had to! For Riku and Tai. They needed her. I was getting ready to jump off the cliff after Hikari, but Ping, Donald and Goofy grabbed me. "Let me go!"

"No!" Donald shouted.

"Sora, calm down!" Goofy cried.

"Stop, Sora! Hikaru wouldn't want you to do this!" Ping said. Tears started flowing down my cheeks. I broke my promise to Kairi. I had promised that I'd bring Riku and Hikari home. Now I broke my promise. Leafeon and Amphy both looked at me with sad eyes.

"Look!" one of the soldier said. We all turned to see a member of Organization XIII jump from below the cliff to the top where we were. In his arms was Hikari! He sat her down and ran off. I ran to Hikari and cradled her.

"Hikaru. Hikaru, wake up." I said. Hikari opened her sapphire eyes and looked at me.

"Sora, what happened? How did I get back up here?" Hikari asked.

"A member of Organization XIII saved you and it looks like he heal the injury you got from the Heartless." I said.

"Did you see his face?" Hikari asked. I shook my head. I helped Hikari to her feet.

* * *

My Pov

It was weird to find out that not only had I escaped death, but an Organization XIII member had been my savior. I wonder why one of them would have saved me? Anphy jumped into my arms.

"You're safe!" Salamon cried.

 **"I'm okay Salamon."** I said.

"Ping, Hikaru. In front." Both me and Ping stood in front of Captain Li. "What both of you did was crazy, but they were also the bravest acts I've ever seen. From now on, you both have me trust." the captain said.

"Thank you, Captain." Ping said. Ping was finally in a good place. So was I. Nothing could go wrong. That is, until Mushu popped out of the snow.

"First she uses me as a lighter, then she turns me into a cannon ball. The head ancestor's gonna hear about this. You know, that's it! I give up! I can't take this no more. C'mon, Mulan. Let's quit this charade and go home, girl." Mushu said. I covered my mouth. Oh no...

"Mushu!" Mulan exclaimed. Mushu saw the Captain was right there and covered his mouth, but it was too late.

"Mulan? A woman? It can't be!" the captain said, in disbelief.

"Hikaru! Ping! Captain!" Sora called.

"Oh, boy, you're okay!" Goofy said. The Captain was pissed at the four of us. That was a fact.

"You all knew, didn't you? You knew Ping was really a woman in disguise." They knew we were up to our necks in trouble. "I can't believe you lied to me." He had his back to us. "The punishment for high treason and dishonor of the Army... is death." the captain said.

"No! If you want to hurt Mulan, you have to get through me!" I said. The Captain was shocked.

"You too, Hikaru? You are a loyal solider. Why would you protect a woman who had deceived and dishonored you and your comrades?" the captain asked.

 **"Because..."** I took off my helmet and undid the bun, letting my long ice blue hair and iris highlights show. "I'm a woman too." I said.

"You... how could you deceive the entire army!" the captain exclaimed.

"Mulan did this to help her father and I did this to fight along side my friends and keep people safe." I said.

"Unbelievable! Your parents should feel ashamed to have a dishonorable daughter like you." the captain said. That hit a nerve. I never knew my mother and I could barely remember my father. How would they react to know I acted like this? "You both deserve to be put to death." All was silent for awhile. "All of you get out my sight... now. You're all dismissed." He and the other troops headed for the city. Mulan and I took off our armor and Mulan undid her bun.

"I'm sorry I got all of you in trouble. Especially you, Hikari." Mulan said. I shook my head.

"It's fine." I said.

"So, Ping... I mean, uh, Mulan... what're you gonna do now?" Sora asked.

"Go back home." Mulan said. Mienfoo looked at Mulan sadly.

"You know, your daddy's gonna be steamed as a chicken dumpling." Mushu said.

"We won't let you take on the blame alone." I said.

"Yeah. We'll take our share of the blame." Sora said.

"Thank you. You're all wonderful friends." Mulan said. We started heading toward Mulan's home when a roar of anger echoed through the mountains. We ran near a small cliff and saw Shan-Yu was still alive! He and several Heartless headed for the city. We hurried to the city and saw the Captain. "Shang!" He stopped and saw us. "Shan-Yu is alive! He's headed this way!"

"You need to get everyone out of here!" I said.

"And why should I believe either of you this time?" Shang asked.

"You said that you trusted Hikaru and Ping. Why should Hikari and Mulan be any different?" I asked.

"Look!" Donald exclaimed. We all looked up and saw Shan-Yu's falcon flying around. It flew toward one of the roofs, to Shan-Yu. Shang and the other soldiers ran to protect the palace while we dealt with the Heartless that showed up. After dealing with them, we hurried to the palace. Shang and the others got the Emperor inside and closed the doors. All we had to do was guard the door and keep Shan-Yu from getting in.

"Move aside, you pests." Shan-Yu growled.

"Not a chance!" Sora snapped. Dark aura started coming from the Hun warrior. He came rushing at us and used the dark energy he somehow obtained to not only attack, but to summon Heartless. _'Hikari.'_ Huh? Who was that? _'Focus on your light and dispel the darkness!'_ That voice... it was the same voice from a year ago! My mom's voice! I did what she said and felt my light course through me. I held up Starlight. A prism appeared and I shouted;

"Prism Light!" Beams of lights scattered across the area, destroying the Heartless and a reasonable amount of them hit Shan-Yu. Starlight glowed and I knew I needed to finish the Hun now. I jumped and slashed Shan-Yu with my Keyblade. The darkness consumed him and he disappeared. After everything settled down, the Emperor came out to meet us. Mulan bowed before him.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan. You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial soldier. You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army, and dishonored your family name. You're a young woman. And in the end... you have saved us all." the emperor said. He actually bowed before Mulan. You could hear the entire city applauding for her.

"Way to go, Mulan!" I cheered. He turned his attention to me.

"Young lady, step forward." I did and bowed my head. Salamon did the same. "You too played a part in the charade. Am I correct?" the emperor asked.

"Yes." I said.

"You have also saved our lives, despite the risk of your own. I know that Shiro would be proud of you." My eyes widen as I looked at the Emperor. How did he know my mom? "Your mother came here when she was twelve years old. She lived here for five years and I looked after her like my own daughter." the emperor said.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded. Just then, Shan-Yu's sword started glowing. Just like my membership card had. Sora and me repeated our actions at Hollow Bastion and unlocked another path. Sora, Donald and Goofy got into the gummi while I hopped on my glider.


	17. Beast's Castle

My Pov

We came to another world. It was kind of gloomy and dark here. Salamon was so scared she stayed right next to me. Veemon stayed next to Sora.

"Where are we now?" I asked.

"I don't know..." Sora said.

"This place is huge!" Donald exclaimed.

"And sorta gloomy, don't ya think?" Goofy asked.

"I wonder who lives here..." Sora said. Suddenly, a vicious roar cut through the eerie silence. I jumped and latched onto Sora while Salamon jumped onto Veemon. "It's okay Hikari." He gently pushed me off him. I saw a faint tint of pink on his cheeks. Is he blushing?

"It's okay Salamon." Veemon said.

"Hey, does anyone else recognize that?" Goofy asked. The roar happened again and that's when I remembered who had a similar roar.

"That's gotta be the Beast!" I said. Salamon's tail started wagging.

"Maybe we should check up on him." Goofy said.

"Look!" Sora exclaimed. We saw a Shadow Heartless crawling flat across the floor and going into a different room. We hurried after it. We followed it into a foyer, but it seemed to have disappeared. I noticed on the table was a bell jar. Inside the jar was a glowing rose. I went closer to get a better look, except the Heartless popped up in front of me.

"I found it!" I called. Soon, more of them popped up. Just like with the Nobodies in Twilight Town, more Heartless would popped up after we got rid of most of them.

"Aw, c'mon! Enough already!" Sora said.

"Somebody help us!" Donald cried out. Just then, the doors of the foyer swung open. It was Beast! The Heartless lunged at him, but he easily knocked them to the side. After the rest of them were taken care of, he started toward the table. Something was wrong. There was some kind of dark aura around Beast.

"Just in time!" Sora said. Beast didn't respond. Instead, he swatted Sora and Veemon to the side and did the same to Donald and Goofy. I ran to Sora and helped him up and Salamon helped Veemon. Beast gently picked up the bell jar and cradled it like a mother would her baby. He left the room.

"Gee, do think maybe he forgot who we are?" Goofy asked.

"I don't think that it. It's something else." I said.

"With this many Heartless around, something must be up." Sora said. Donald was rubbing his cheek.

"Why'd he have to do that?" Donald asked. We went back into the main hall and I noticed Donald looking up toward the East Wing staircase.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"I just know I saw a lady at the top of those stairs..." Donald said.

"Well... If the Beast is here in the castle, that lady musta been Belle, right?" Goofy asked. Belle? That's when I remembered when we first met Beast, he was looking for a girl named Belle.

"Had to have been." I said.

"Belle might know what's going on with Beast." Sora said. We went up the staircase and into the East Wing. As we got to the door at the end of the hall, I heard a woman's voice. It was Belle.

"What am I going to do?" Belle asked to herself. Sora pointed to the door. Donald stepped back.

"Okay." Donald said. He charged right for the door.

"Donald, wait!" I said. The door opened a second before Donald hit them. He tripped and fell on his stomach.

"Hey! Who opened the door?" Donald asked. Right in front of Donald stood a woman with brown hair tied back with a blue bow, hazel eyes. She wore a sleeveless blue dress over a long-sleeved white shirt, a white apron tied around the waist and black shoes on her feet. So, this was Belle.

"Oh, I'm so happy you're here!" She picked up Donald and hugged him. "Donald!" She turned her attention to the two of us still standing in the hall. "Sora! Goofy!" Belle exclaimed.

"Hiya!" Sora greeted. She looked at me with surprise.

"Kage, is that you?" Belle asked. Again with that. Who was Kage?

"No. I'm Hikari." I said.

"Oh! You're the Princess of Kingdom Hearts." Belle said. I nodded. I noticed Donald trying to break free from Belle's embrace.

"Put me down! Put me down!" Donald demanded. Belle let go of Donald and his pupils were spinning around a little. Belle told us how the Beast's attitude toward her had changed and that he even locked his servants in the dungeon. We hurried to the West Wing this part of the castle was so much larger than the East Wing. I grabbed Sora's arm so he turn around.

"Sora, why did Belle and Mushu call me Kage?" I asked.

"Kage is the name of your Heartless." Heartless? Oh... right. "You should meet her. She's actually the Heartless that you purified somehow." Sora said.

"You mean Shadow?" I asked. He nodded. Kage and Shadow were the same person? I hoped we find her, because something in me said she hadn't returned to me. I saw a wardrobe at the far end of the hall. We went down that way and Sora pushed the wardrobe out of the way, revealing a door.

"Here it is!" Sora called. Suddenly, the wardrobe spoke.

"Do you MIND!?" the wardrobe shouted. All of stared in shock as the wardrobe hopped back to where it had been before. There was something you didn't see every day. Sora began to push the wardrobe again and would stop anytime it would wake up. He moved it out of the way and the wardrobe turned to us. "And I was just starting to get comfortable... May I help you?" I let out the breath I had unknowingly been holding.

"Yes. Belle sent us to free the servants who were locked in the dungeon." I explained. She(the wardrobe)was happy about that. We enter the undercroft and saw the doors to the dungeon. I noticed two stone creatures on the door, each having a hand around a lock. Something was off about them. Donald went over to the door and try to see if he could hear anything on the other side. That's when the eyes of the stone creatures glowed and the creatures glowed a black and purple light. "Donald, run!" He did just as the creatures came to life and one of them slammed its hand down where Donald had been standing.

"Hikari, let's go!" Sora said. I nodded to him and we engaged in combat. Soon, several statues in the room came to life and started attacking us too. I realized that a Heartless was possessing the statues and one was more than likely possessing the creatures blocking the door.

"V-Headbutt!" Veemon said. He rammed into the Heartless' fists, knocking them back.

"Puppy Howl!" Salamon said. She let out a loud howl, causing the Possessor to come out of the statue. Sora and I destroyed it and the creatures that had kept the door blocked vanished. Now we could free the servants.


	18. Rescue

My Pov

We went into the dungeon, but all I could see was a clock, a teapot, a teacup, a candelabra, a feather duster and a footstool. There was no one in here.

"There's nobody here." Sora said.

"You mean there's nobody to rescue?" Donald asked, disappointed. I sighed. We came all this way for nothing? Suddenly, Salamon and Veemon went over to several of the items and sniff them.

"Hikari, there's something about these objects!" Salamon said..

"Did somebody say 'rescue'?" a voice asked. Huh? Who said that?

"Shhh! Keep quiet. It might be THEM." another voice hushed. Who was saying that?

"Oh, they look like nice boys to me. And the young lady looks harmless." a third voice assured. Then I realized something. We met a talking wardrobe, so that means that the items in the room were the ones talking.

"We are harmless. Belle asked us to come and help you." I said. That's when the objects in the room came to life and walked/hopped toward us. The four of us marveled at the objects. The footstool ran up to me and nuzzled my face as if trying to lick me. It let out a dog-like yapping noise.

"I'm Sora." Sora introduced himself. He gestured toward me. "Hikari." Then to Donald. "Donald." And then to Goofy. "Goofy." Donald lunged and grabbed the clock.

"...D-don't touch! I-I am self-winding, sir!" the clock exclaimed. Donald shook him, probably wondering how he was working. Salamon played with the teacup, balancing him on her head.

"We're glad to see everyone is alright." I said.

"It is we who are overjoyed to see you!" the candelabra said.

"Did someone put a spell on you guys, too?" Goofy asked.

"Yes, that's right... You heard! It was the enchantress." the clock said.

"It seems so long ago..." the candelabra said. I picked up the teacup and sat him next to the teapot, who I guessed to be his mother.

"It was a cold winter's night... An old beggar woman came to the castle and asked for shelter." the teapot said. They told the tale of how the beggar offered the Beast, who was really a prince, a rose in return for shelter. He turned the old woman away because of her ugly appearance. She then revealed her true appearance to the prince. He tried to apologize to her, but she saw there wasn't any goodness in his heart. She turned him into a beast as punishment and turned all the residents of the castle into objects. The enchantress left the rose behind as his measure of the time he had left to break the spell. The only way to break the spell was to love a young maiden and earn her love in return. We needed to get to Beast. We all hurried to the West Wing. We had learned the names of the servants. The clock's name was Cogsworth, the candelabra's name was Lumiere, the feather duster was Lumiere's girlfriend Plumette, the teapot's name was Mrs. Potts, the teacup was her son Chip and the footstool was the Beast's dog Sultan.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _Unknown to all of them, Beast was being lead astray by a member of Organization XIII._

 _"It is time you dealt with Belle. She's scheming to take everything you have. This castle, your precious rose. And then-your life. Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong." the unknown lied._

 _"I've had enough of strength. There's only one thing I want-" Beast_

 _"What? To love, and be loved in return? Who could ever love a beast?" the unknown asked, mocking Beast's pain. Beast's sadness soon turned to rage as he roared at question. Soon, the unknown man sensed the presence of the Keyblade Master and the Princess. As they entered the room, he disappeared, but not before setting up a barrier._

* * *

My Pov

We arrived in Beast's room just in time to see the Organization XIII member vanish. What had he said to Beast?

"Hey, Prince!" Sora said. All of a sudden, Beast let out a spine-chilling roar that actually shook the room. Veemon and Salamon jumped to hide behind us.

"Oh, dear! Master!" Cogsworth cried. Beast had a crazed look in his eye. He lunged at us. Veemon grabbed Cogsworth and ducked out of the way. A red aura began to form around him.

"We need to snap him out of it!" I said. With Cogsworth help, we brought Beast to his senses in no time.

"Cogsworth... what happened?" Beast asked.

"Well, Master... ah, you see... that is... How shall I say... ah, actually... mmm..." Cogsworth stumbled with his words. He couldn't find a gentle way to say it.

"Well, you put everyone down there in the dungeon!" Donald said.

"I did what?" Beast asked. Beast must not remember doing anything under the influence of the Organization.

"Beast, who was that man that was feeding you lies?" I asked. Beast thought for a minute and when he remembered, anger filled his entire being.

"Xaldin... that's his name. He came from the darkness... He... used my anger to control me. He took all my sorrow, my sadness, my pain- and turned it all into rage." His anger turned to sadness. "There was nothing I could do... I could no longer see the truth." Beast said.

"Well, I'll be. That must be why you threw all of your friends down there into the dungeon. You wanted to make sure that you didn't hurt 'em, right?" Goofy said.

"Was that it? Was it to protect them?" Beast asked. We all nodded.

"I'm sure that's why. Beast, I think that you need to explain all this to Belle." I said.

"Belle!" He became depressed all of a sudden. "I've mistreated her... I've mistreated her and been so selfish." Beast said. Those words... While I slept, I heard Riku utter very similar words to someone. _"I've hurt her... I've hurt her in the worst possible way. I was so blinded by the darkness and my selfish desire to be stronger. Now... she's gone."_ I needed to find him.

"Hikari?" Sora asked. I snapped my attention to Sora. I felt something wet on my cheek. I realized I was crying. I quickly wiped my eyes.

"It's nothing." I said. Salamon pawed my leg, worried about me.

"Hikari, don't cry." Salamon said.

"You're worried about Riku, aren't you?" Sora asked. One thing I didn't like about Sora was that he could read me like an open book.

"Riku? The boy who attacked me a year ago? Why bother worrying about him?" Beast asked. Sora and I shook our heads.

"Riku had been tricked and used by both Maleficent and Ansem, Beast. He never would have done any of those things if Maleficent hadn't brainwashed him. Beside, the whole time me and Sora slept I could hear his voice. The past year has been hard on him. He's suffered more than anything. No one could inflicted a pain greater than the one he's been carrying in his heart." I explained.

"I trust your judgment Hikari. The last time I saw him, the aura around him had changed." Beast said.

"Come on. Let's go talk to Belle!" Sora said.


	19. Dark Thorn

My Pov

We went back to Belle's room to find her gone. The wardrobe was there and said that Belle had gone after a man in a black coat. We searched the whole castle, but couldn't find her. We were about to search outside when we heard Belle's voice.

"I'm warning you! You'll be sorry!" Belle cried. We looked around, trying to find out where her voice was coming from.

"Belle! Where are you?" Beast asked.

"Beast! Help! I'm in the ballroom!" Belle shouted. We hurried into the ballroom to see Belle running from a Heartless.

"Belle!" Beast exclaimed.

"I'm all right!" Belle said. She closed the balcony doors just as the Heartless was about to catch her. The Heartless turned its attention to us and began to trash around. It floated up toward the chandelier and then dove into the floor. Darkness began to spread over the entire room. The Heartless leaped out of the floor and let out a roar that shook the room. Soon, the elegant ballroom became a room of nightmares. The Heartless would either fuse with the balcony windows, the chandelier or the pillars in order to attack us.

"Okay, I'm done with this hide-and-seek game. Time for you to STOP!" I said. I shot a beam of light at the Heartless and froze it before it could make it to the windows. The five of us attacked it together and destroyed it. It trashed around for a couple seconds before becoming engulfed in a large orb of darkness. The orb pulsated and then evaporated, revealing the Heartless had changed. It had grown larger and faster. It turned invisible.

"Hikari, watch out!" Donald shouted. The Heartless reappeared behind and raised its claws up to strike. Beast rammed into it just before it could hit me.

"Thanks, Beast!" I said. This Heartless was fast. And it more powerful than before. I tried using my Stop spell, but my magic wasn't at its fullest just yet. The Heartless disappeared again. "Damn it!"

"Don't worry! We've got this." Veemon said. Both mine and Sora's Digivices activated.

 _ **"Veemon digivolve to... Veedramon!"**_

 _ **"Salamon digivolve to... Gatomon!"**_

The Heartless started toward me.

"Hikari, look out!" Goofy cried. Gatomon jumped in front of me.

"Cat's Eye Hypnotism!" Gatomon exclaimed. Her eyes glowed yellow and her pupils became slits. The Dark Thorn then began to attack itself.

"V-Nova Blast!" Veedramon exclaimed. The attack hit the Dark Thorn dead on. Sora and I delivered the final blow with a simple slash from our Keyblades. The Heartless stumbled back and let out a loud roar. It froze as darkness began streaming from its body and then it evaporated in light. The ballroom reverted back to its elegant state. Veedramon and Gatomon reverted back to Veemon and Salamon.

"We did it!" Sora exclaimed.

"So you think." a voice said. We turned around to see a member of Organization XIII standing near the ballroom doors.

"Xaldin!" We ran toward Xaldin, but he vanished just has we got close to him. "What does he want here?" Beast asked angrily.

"He's with Organization XIII." Beast looked at us. "They control these new creatures called Nobodies. They're created when a strong-willed person loses their heart and becomes a Heartless." I said.

"That's right. And they were gonna turn you into a Heartless. That way, they could get that Nobody of yours and have control over it." Goofy said. That was it! Toucannon flew around before perching on Sora's other shoulder.

"You were awesome Toucannon. Thank you." Sora returned her to her ball.

"You're all right!" Belle said.

"Belle!" He ran to Belle to make sure she was okay. "Belle... I-I'm sorry-I... wasn't myself. I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you." Belle shook her head 'no'. "Forgive me." Beast said.

"I know you weren't yourself. You don't have to apologize." Then, as if with the snap of her fingers, Belle's kind demeanor changed to strict and scowling. "But I had hoped... that you might have changed a little bit. I wish you could start trusting me." Belle said. This wasn't good. Beast didn't have a whole lot of time left to break the spell. Suddenly, Kingdom Key and Starlight began glowing. The rose... it was the key item to finding the Keyhole. We repeated our actions from Hollow Bastion and Land of Dragons. We opened a path.

"We need to leave for now everyone." I said.

"Do you have to go?" Belle asked.

"Yeah, but we'll be back." Sora said. We left Beast Castle and for some reason the gummi ship and my glider were being pulled back toward Hollow Bastion. We landed there, but I couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching us. Salamon could sense it too, as she looked around trying to find them.

* * *

?'s Pov

 _I stood in the shadows as Sora and his friends arrived back in Hollow Bastion. Then I saw a strange glider land next to them. The rider was... No... It can't be... DiZ said she'd never wake up. But... it was her... Hikari. She's so beautiful. I saw Salamon next to her. I always said to myself she'd never be more beautiful than the last time I saw her, but somehow she had. I wanted so much to show myself, to take her in my arms and never let her go. But, I couldn't let her see me. Not like this. I heard Hikari's voice when she said something to Sora. Her voice was more beautiful than music. They started coming this way. I hurried into a portal, taking one last look at my princess before disappearing from sight._


	20. 100 Acre Wood

My Pov

"I wonder what's up." Sora said. We got to Merlin's house and saw the door was wide open. Then, three Soldier Heartless ran out of the house and disappeared. "C'mon!" We hurried into the house to see Merlin sitting on the floor.

"Merlin! Are you alright?" I asked. He got up and dusted off his robe.

"Yes, I'm fine. Well, now... took your time, did you?" Merlin asked.

"Oh, was it you who summoned us, Merlin?" Goofy asked.

"Yes, yes... But it seems I used too much power in doing so, and those infernal Heartless..." Merlin said.

"So what's up?" Sora asked.

"Well, I just happened to stumble across this in the Zero District." Merlin said. He held up his hand and, in a puff of smoke, appeared a book. But this wasn't just any book. He handed it to Donald and we saw it was Pooh Bear's storybook.

"You found Pooh's book!" I exclaimed happily.

"I know that you and Sora are good friends of Winnie the Pooh, Hikari- that's why I summoned you. And when I did, I was attacked by the Heartless. Of course, I fought back with some powerful magic, but then I feared the book may be damaged, so I... Now, just a moment. Leon and the others need to hear this too. I-I'd better go find them. Be back in a jiffy." Merlin said. With that said, Merlin disappeared in a puff of smoke. I looked at the book.

"I wonder how Pooh and the others are doing?" I asked.

"Wanna find out?" Donald asked.

"Yeah!" Sora and I exclaimed. Donald unclipped the book and opened it. A light shone from the book as Sora and I were transported inside it. We came to the map and headed for Pooh's house. There, from a distance, we saw him sitting on a log. We went up to him. He looked at us and let out a happy gasp.

"Hey, Pooh Bear! How you doing? Finding enough honey lately?" Sora asked.

"Oh, yes. In fact, I was just about to do my stoutness exercises. Would you and Hikari like to join me, Sora?" Pooh asked.

"Sounds like fun!" I said.

"Sure, we're game!" Sora said. Pooh hopped off the log, but suddenly, he froze in mid-air. Both of us went to touch him, when a strong blast of wind hit us and blew us clear out of the book. We landed hard on the brick floor of Merlin's house. We both stared at the book, dumbfounded, as it closed by itself. Then, I heard Donald yelling for us.

"Sora! Hikari! Hurry up!" Donald shouted.

"Donald?" I asked. We hurried outside to see a lot of Heartless. Goofy turned around to us.

"Hikari, did you or Sora bring the book?" Goofy asked. No, we had left it back in Merlin's house. I turned around to go get it, but saw three Heartless coming out of the house. And one of them held the book over their head!

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed

"Give that back!" Donald screeched.

"Get back here with that book!" I yelled. We chased after them while fighting off the other Heartless. I hurled my Keyblade, like a javelin, at the Heartless carrying the book and managed to hit it. It evaporated and the book fell to the ground. I quickly grabbed it before any other Heartless could.

"Puppy Howl!" Salamon exclaimed. Salamon's howl destroyed the Heartless around me. Sora, Donald and Goofy destroyed the rest of the Heartless. My heart sank at the sight of the three tears in the cover. Were Pooh and the others alright?

"Think it's okay?" Sora asked.

"I don't know Sora." I said.

"Gawrsh, maybe ya both better go back and make sure Pooh's all right." Goofy told us.

"But what about Merlin?" Donald asked.

"Well, I guess we could explain..." Goofy said.

"Great!" Sora said. I handed the book to Donald. He unlocked it and opened it. I immediately saw all the pictures, but the picture of Pooh's house were gone. A light came from the book and we found ourselves back at the map. We hurried back to Pooh's home and saw he was back in the posirion he had been in before. On a log, thinking. We went up to the little bear and he looked at his with the same cheerfulness.

"We're happy to see you're alright, Pooh Bear." I said.

"And I'm glad you both came to visit. But you see, I was just about to begin my stoutness exercises. Perhaps we could visit later... Somebodies-I-Don't-Know." Pooh said. Pooh went to his exercises while me and Sora stared at him in confusion.

"How's Piglet been doing?" I asked.

"I don't think I know anyone by that name. Now where was I? Oh, yes. My stoutness exercises." Pooh said.

"Pooh? Hey! Pooh?" Sora asked. I pulled Sora aside.

"I think the Heartless may have torn out some of book's pages. And that's affected Pooh Bear's memory." I said. Sora took a quick glance Pooh.

"I think you're right." Sora said. When we got back, Merlin explained that was exactly what happened. We needed to find the missing pages to not only restore the book, but Pooh's memory. I decided to go back to grandma's house to see if she was there.

"Guys, if it's okay, I want to go see Grandma, Yami and Tai." I said.

"Sure. We'll go with you." Sora said. They followed me to her house and I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a voice asked. That was Grandma!

"It's me, Hikari!" I said. The door opened to reveal my grandmother, who I hadn't seen in ten years.

"Hikari! My little granddaughter!" We hugged each other. "All of you come in." Grandma said.

"Hikari!" Yami said. I smiled at my sister and hugged her too. Salamon nuzzled Viximon. Then, she handed me my smiling baby boy.

"Tai! Oh, Mommy missed you!" I exclaimed. He responded with a happy squeal. I knelt down so Veemon could look at him.

"That's your son?" I turned around so Sora could see him. "Whoa, he looks just like Riku." Tai reached out for Sora. "Why is he trying to get to me?" Sora asked.

"He probably wants you to hold him. Or he wants to pull on your hair." I said. Sora laughed and gently took Tai from me. Tai didn't tug on Sora's hair, but he did fiddle with Sora's crown necklace. I smiled at the laughter and happiness of this scene. Soon, the four of us headed off to the next world.


	21. Olympus Coliseum

My Pov

This place was so dark and gloomy. Where were we? Salamon and Veemon cowarded behind me and Sora.

"Are ya sure this is the coliseum?" Goofy asked. I knew for sure this wasn't the coliseum.

"It's that way!" Donald said. I looked to where Donald pointed and saw an open door with stairs leading upward, both of which were illuminated by a heavenly light.

"Oh... Guess we were a little off." Sora said. A little? We started for the stairs when a scream cut through the air. We all turned around to see a woman running from several Heartless. The woman tripped and the Heartless crowded around her. We ran to help her, causing the Heartless to run off. Sora knelt down and held out his hand.

"Thanks, but... I'm fine." When she saw us, her demeanor seem to change. She got up and dusted off her dress. "And you're suppose to be?" the woman asked.

"I'm Sora. This is Veemon, Donald and that's Goofy." Sora said.

"My name's Hikari and this is Salamon. We came here to see how Hercules was doing." I explained. She looked at all of us with a weird look.

"You know Wonderboy?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, 'cause we're heroes, too!" Donald exclaimed.

"Ya mean junior heroes, Donald." Goofy corrected. Donald frowned at Goofy's correction.

"Looks like we have a friend in common. Name's Megara. My friends call me Meg." the woman said. Meg explained that she was going to talk to Hades and get him to give Hercules a break from fighting. We decided to do that for her. We went toward where Hades' lair was. Soon we came to an area above a large green lake. Even from this height, I could see the lake was made from the souls of the dead. Donald was scared out of his wits.

"I'm scared too, Donald." Goofy said.

"Hades, come out!" Sora called. While I wasn't afraid of the so called 'Lord of the Dead', I felt this strange heavy presence around all of us since we arrived down here.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _As the four friends made their way to Hades, Pete was with the Lord of the Dead discussing what to do about Hercules. Soon, Pete unknowingly suggested that Hades send a dead warrior to fight Hercules. Hades knew just who to send. He summoned a spiraling portal which was the entrance to the dungeon of the most terrifying prisoners. Pete was uneasy as he looked down in the spiraling portal._

 _"By the by, uh... What's down there?" Pete asked._

 _"Just the Underworld's deepest dungeon. This time I'm bringing out the mother of all bad guys." Hades said._

 _"You don't say?" Pete backed away, afraid of Hades. "Well... maybe I should go." Pete said, nervously. Hades summoned two fireballs and shot them down into the dungeon. In an explosion of fire and smoke, a man appeared. The man wore a blood red haori with blue lining, kept closed with a thick, black and blue strap with two brown belts wrapped around it. He tucked his left arm into the front of his haori, making it look as though his arm was in a sling. There was a brown shoulder pad on his left shoulder that was intricately decorated with tan, green, and blue patterns, as well as a beaded ornament that dangles from it. He wore black pants and shoes, the latter of which have brown straps and triangular metal plating adorning them. The man also wore a black shirt with a peculiar, grey collar with intersecting brown straps that is high enough to cover his mouth. His short hair was dark grey and spiked, and he seems to have some light stubble on his chin. There is a large scar over the right half of his face and over his eye, which is constantly shut as a result. His left eye was amber colored. The man wielded his starting weapon the, "Battlefields of War, though it had more in common with the fictional zanbatou sword than a katana. This was the deceased SOLDIER; Auron._

 _"Let's cut to the chase. Here's the deal I'm gonna offer you. I let you out of the slammer-no strings-you'll be free as a bird. And all for one little job. Fight Hercules, in the Coliseum...to the death!" Hades explained._

 _"This is my story. And you're not part of it." Auron said._

 _"Did you forget who you're talking to? I am the Lord of the Dead!" Hades shouted._

 _"No wonder no one wants to die." Auron said._

 _"YOU ARE FIRED!" Hades yelled. Hades and Auron began to fight just as the Keyblade Master, Princess and their friends made their way to the room._

* * *

My Pov

I heard Hades yell something at someone. Then I heard fighting. We came into the room to see Hades fighting someone.

"Hades!" Donald exclaimed. He looked at us with annoyance.

"You again?" Hades asked, annoyed. The guy slashed at Hades and briefly spoke to us.

"Fight!" the man said. Hades knocked the man to the ground. I jumped in front of him to keep Hades back.

"Get up!" Sora cried. When we each made a contact with Hades with our weapons, it was as if a barrier was around the immortal.

"Something's wrong!" Donald exclaimed.

"I feel funny..." I said. I looked at Veemon and Salamon. They all looked like they could barely stand.

"That's right! See, that's the thing. In the Underworld, heroes are zeroes-comes with the territory." Hades said. Hades lunged at us, but the mysterious man stopped him.

"Go now!" the man exclaimed.

"But we've gotta talk to Hades!" Sora said. Hades plugged his ears.

"What was that?" Hades asked. Sora went to attack Hades, but both me and the man grabbed him.

"Sora, something about the Underworld is draining us. We can't fight here!" I said.

"Listen to your friend! We have to go-now!" the man hurried down the stairs. Sora and I closed the doors to the chamber.

"Is he gone?" Donald asked.

"Don't count on it." the man said. Suddenly, Hades appeared next to Sora.

"Leaving so soon?" Hades asked. After having fought the Heartless Hades sent and fending him off, we managed to get away. All of us, but the man, collapsed panting. Salamon fell into my lap, Veemon fell into Sora's lap and Raichu fell on his back.

"You're really go. Are you some kind of hero?" Sora asked. The man sadly shook his head.

"No, I'm no hero... I'm just an..." the man said.

"A what?" I asked.

"Auron." We looked confused. "My name." the man said. We got up.

"I'm Sora." Sora said. Donald hopped on top of Sora's back.

"Donald." Donald said. Then, Goofy hopped on top of Donald's back.

"Goofy!" Goofy said. Sora tried to push our two friends off him, but instead they all fell to the ground. I laughed a little.

"My name is Hikari." I said.

"Are you their guardian?" I shook my head. "Perhaps you need one." Auron said.

"Guardian? Thanks, but no thanks." Sora said. We hurried toward where we had originally come in, only to find the door locked. That's when I noticed the lock holding the chains. Starlight and Kingdom Key appeared in my and Sora's hands.

"Will those open it?" Auron asked.

"Yeah. I believe so." I said. A fierce roar echoed behind us. "Hurry!" Out of the shadows, appeared the three-headed hell-hound Cerberus. Sora and I pointed our Keyblades at the locked and unlocked it. Donald and Goofy pushed open the large, rock-like door. Only Donald and Goofy went through. Sora and I turned to see Auron was in a bit of trouble.

"Sora! Hikari, wait!" Donald yelled. We ran back to Auron's side. Salamon and Veemon growled and hissed at Cerberus. A barrier separated us from our friends as we engaged in combat with the guardian of the Underworld.


	22. Zack

My Pov

The battle was tough as the curse of the Underworld weighed me and Sora down. But it didn't weigh us down much since we weren't fighting something that was undead. I jumped up above Cerberus and pointed my Keyblade at him.

"Prism Rain!" I shouted. Seven orbs of light, each a color of the rainbow, shot toward Cerberus and fatally injured him. Sora and Auron finished the giant beast off using a Limit move known as Bushido. Soon, Cerberus collapsed from exhaustion. Me, Sora and Auron ran to Donald and Goofy. We pushed the two slabs of the stone door closed. The hellhound tried to go after us, but the slabs closed shut. Auron had gone off somewhere. He'd be fine. We needed to talk to Meg and explain what happened. Suddenly, I felt something was wrong.

"Hikari?" Sora asked.

"Go on ahead. Something's wrong..." I said. I went off in a different direction. I hurried down the path. That's when I heard a groaning sound. The sound of someone in pain. I looked around and found the source of the sound. A guy, probably several years older than me, was lying face-down on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood. "Hey! Are you okay? Please say something!" I turned the guy over and he had multiple injuries, mainly to his chest and stomach. I took off the helmet he wore to see he had spikey black hair. Next to him was a red Digimon. They kinda reminded me of Zack and Guilmon. I shook my head. Now's not the time to go down memory lane. His eyes were closed. Oh no... was he... dead? I placed an ear to his chest. _Thump... Thump..._ I let out a sigh of relief. He was alive, but barely.

"Hikari!" I turned to see Sora had followed me. "Oh, man! Is he...?" Sora asked. I shook my head.

"He's alive, but we need to get him help." I said. We both put one of the guy's arms around our necks and lifted him off the ground. Salamon carried the red Digimon on her back. We hurried back to Donald and Goofy. We hurried up the illuminated stairwell. As soon as we were out of the Underworld, the pressure I had felt was gone. We started walking toward the lobby when the doors opened to reveal an exhausted Hercules.

"Sora, Hikari! Donald, Goofy! When did you-Zack?!" Zack? Was this guy actually the same Zack I met years ago? "What happened to him?" Hercules asked.

"I don't know. We found him like this." I said. We hurried in the lobby where me and Sora laid Zack down. It was the same Zack. He was black spikey hair and I just knew that his eyes were the same bright blue. I placed my hands on Zack's chest. "Cure!" I focused my light into the healing spell. Doing so strengthened the spell and accelerated the healing to where he was fully healed with only a few minor scars.

"Hikari, you stay with Zack in case he wakes up." Hercules said. Sora and the others went out to find Phil while Herc went to get a stone that would protect us from the Underworld's curse. I laid Zack's head in my lap. Tears started to well up in my eyes. Zack was the only friend from my past that I still had. I didn't want to lose him. The tears finally overflowed from my eyes and spilled down my face. They fell onto Zack's face. Salamon nudged my arm. I felt so helpless. What if I hadn't found him? What if- That when I felt a hand on my cheek.

"Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't cry." a voice said. I opened my eyes to see Zack's bright blue eyes were looking up at me. My tears of sadness turned into tears of joy when I wrapped my arms around his head.

"Zack! You're alright!" I said. He sat up and seemed confused.

"Do I know you?" Zack asked. I decided to use the same line I had used on him eleven years ago.

"You're a meanie, Zack." I said. He stared at me wide-eyed.

"Man, you sound just like... Hikari?!" Zack said. I stifled a laugh.

"Took you that long to recognize me?" I asked. He got over the shock and wrapped his arms around me. I returned the hug.

"Wow, you look amazing!" Zack said. I blushed. That's when the red Digimon stirred awake. "Oh! Gigimon!" Zack scooped him up in his arms. "I'm sorry you got reduced to an In-Training level."

"It's okay." Gigimon said. Zack started to get up, but I stopped him.

"Hikari, I'm fine. Compared to how I felt before, I'm in tip-top shape." Zack said. I was still worried. "I'm fine." I knew I wasn't going to convince him otherwise, so I let it go. We went to the training yard. Phil happened to look to the side of Sora and saw us.

"Zack! Glad to see Hades hasn't gotten a hold of your soul yet." Then he looked at me with surprise. "Wow! Didn't know Aphrodite had a sister." I blushed even harder. "Well, I need to take off for a bit. See ya." Phil said. Phil went off and I saw Hercules came back.

"Zack, you're okay!" Hercules said.

"Well, I had an angel watching out for me." Zack said. My face was completely red at this point.

"Well, I'm sorry guys... but the Olympus Stone has been stolen." Hercules said. This surprised all of us.

"By who?" Goofy asked.

"We don't know yet. All we're sure of is that it was a guy in a black-hooded coat. He was being accompanied by a bunch of creatures in white." Hercules said. I looked at Sora, Donald and Goofy. They nodded to me.

"Someone you guys know?" Zack asked. I nodded.

"By the way, have any of you seen Meg?" Hercules asked. We all shook our heads. Suddenly, Hades appeared.

"What's wrong, your hero-ness? Feeling under the weather? You know, I thought staying in shape was part of the hero job description." Hades said. I signaled to Sora.

"Oh, right... Hades, we gotta talk!" Sora said. Hades then had the nerve to flick Sora in the head, making him fall back.

"Hey! Watch it!" Veemon growled.

"Hey! Don't touch my friends!" I snapped.

"Well, if it isn't the little princess herself!" Hades said.

"Watch it, Hades!" Zack snapped.

"Oh, the little mosquito seemed to survive the Underworld." Hades said.

"What!?" Zack exclaimed.

"I really came here to share some interesting news with Wonderboy: His dear, sweet little Nutmeg...went and got herself lost in the Underworld." Hades said.

"You mean you kidnapped her!" Hercules exclaimed.

"Well, maybe... But why get caught up in the details?" Hades asked. Hercules whistled and his horse, Pegasus, came into view. "You can't leave now, okay? You've got a very important match today, against, um... the bloodthirsty Hydra! I mean, if you don't stick around, who knows what kind of "accidents" might happen."

"Yeah, accidents you cause." Sora said.

"Like I said: details, who needs 'em?" Hades asked.

"Coward!" I shouted. Hades vanished. Herc was thinking about what to do.

"Can you five handle this?" Hercules asked.

"You got it! We're heroes!" Donald said.

"Junior heroes, Donald." Goofy corrected again. Donald glared at Goofy.

"Handle the Hydra Herc. We'll find Meg." Zack said.

"I'm counting on all of you." Hercules said. We hurried to the Underworld.


	23. Myde & Hydra

My Pov

We entered the Underworld and the pressure came back. We looked and saw Phil lying on the ground.

"Phil!" We hurried over to him and helped him up. "What happened?" I asked.

"I spotted this strange guy all dressed in black. I chased after him, but he turned on me. Next thing I know, I'm seeing stars." Phil said. The Organization! Phil pointed in the direction the guy had run to. We went to a completely different section of the Underworld. Just then, a member of the Organization ran past a cave opening.

"The Organization!" Donald exclaimed.

"Let's follow him." I said. We followed him. Soon, he ran past me. The guy yelled something that was really weird.

"Run, run away!" the unknown yelled. He then disappeared into a portal.

"Okay..." Sora said. We soon came to a chamber and saw the guy standing near two large doors. They guy turned to us.

"Ah! You two!" He pulled his hood off, revealing he had dirty-blonde hair that was styled in a mullet with several bangs falling over his face and green eyes. Wait, he looked like... Myde? Myde was a friend I had made in Radiant Garden within the year I lived there. Salamon recognized him too. "Wait a sec... Roxas? Nikko?" the guy asked. What did he call us?

"I'm sorry?" I asked.

"Excuse me?" Sora asked.

"Roxas? Nikko? Oh, it's no use." the guy said. Was this guy crazy?

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Demyx." He pulled out a card from his pocket. "Let's see, here... _'If the subjects fail to respond, use aggression to liberate his or her true disposition'_... Right. Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one..." Demyx said.

"This guy is a weirdo..." Zack said. Then, he pulled out the Olympus Stone out of his pocket.

"He's gotta be the thief!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Now that's just plain rude!" He held up the stone and it glowed, with small light circling around him. He summoned a strange sitar and summoned water clones. Beating him was hard, but I manage to get rid of one and attack Demyx with one slash from Starlight.

"Roxas, Nikko, come back to us!" Demyx called. With that said, he vanished.

"Guys, a broken record." Sora said.

"Hey, look!" Donald said. Donald picked up the Olympus Stone that Demyx dropped. He handed it to Sora. Sora held up his head. It glowed and light shone around all of us. The pressure was gone and I knew it would stay gone. Veemon, Salamon and Gigimon all felt better.

 _ **"Gigimon digivolve to... Guilmon!"**_

We went into the chamber and saw a rock with the outline of Meg on it. Sora and I pointed our Keyblades at the Keyhole and the rock vanished. We went further down to find Meg with Hades.

"Now that's what I call a key. Gee, thanks for the help! Now have a nice day." Hades said. Meg looked at us and her eyes widen.

"Hikari, behind you!" Meg cried. Pete was there too with several Heartless. It was both hard and easy. Easy because Zack was an amazing fighter and hard because we had to protect Meg from harm. Finally, we were starting to get worn out. But, Hercules came to help us out. Pegasus took Meg away while we dealt with Pete. After accomplishing that, we hurried back to the coliseum just as the cavern started collapsing. We got back to find the entire coliseum destroyed by the Hydra.

"This can't be..." Hercules said. Meg, Phil and Pegasus ran to Hercules.

"Champ! You're safe!" Phil exclaimed.

"I failed..." Hercules said.

"It's not your fault!" Meg exclaimed.

"I left everyone unprotected. Hades was right. I'm just a...a washout." Hercules said.

"Aw, come on, champ! I didn't train you to think like that." Phil said.

"Wonderboy..." Meg said. We ran to Hercules, trying to keep him from giving up.

"Phil's right. You can't beat yourself up for this." I said.

"I'm some hero..." Hercules mumbled. It was like strength or something left him. His entire being darkened. Meg picked him and carried back into the lobby.

 ** _"Salamon digivolve to... Gatomon!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Veemon digivolve to... Veedramon!_** ** _"_**

 ** _"Guilmon digivolve to... Growlmon!"_**

Fighting the Hydra was near impossible. Apparently, every time we cut one of its heads off, another would grow. Soon, the Hydra had five heads snapping at us.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon exclaimed. She punched one of the heads.

"V-Nova Blast!" Veedramon exclaimed. He fired his attack at the Hydra's body.

"Pyro Blaster!" Growlmon excalimed. He fired a spew of fire at the same spot Veedramon had.

I decided using my glider was the best chance we had of beating this serpentine monster. I hopped on Starry Twilight and began to slash at the monster.

"Hikari!" He threw me his sword. I understood what his idea was. I caught it and threw it directly at the Hydra's chest. It made contact stunning the beast. With Sora and Pegasus's help, we killed the giant five-headed monster. Our Digimon reverted back to Rookie. After everything settled down, Zack pulled me aside. "That guy, Sora... he's like the spitting image of Ven." I felt sting of pain in my heart at the mention of Ven. "By the way, how are him, Terra and Aqua?" Zack asked. I felt some tears welling in my eyes. Zack could tell he asked something he shouldn't have.

"I...I don't know where they are." I said, as tears started welling up in my eyes. Salamon stood on her hind legs and gripped my skirt. She had a sad look on her face.

"What happened?" Zack asked. I explained to Zack what I knew. Tears flowed down my cheeks. Zack wiped them away and hugged me. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You don't know how hard it is for me to look at Sora and see Ven at first. It's been eleven years since I've seen his face or heard his voice. Even though I have my memories back, it's getting harder to remember Terra and Ven. And I failed to bring Aqua home when I had the chance." I said, crying.

"Hey, you'll find them." Zack assured me. I smiled at him. Zack then showed me he had gotten a Crest and Tag. He had the Crest of Justice.

"Hikari!" Goofy exclaimed. Zack and I looked to the Olympic Stone started glowing. Sora and I opened a new path and we departed soon after.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _Back in the Hollow Bastion castle, the evil fairy Maleficent stands and looks at the large balcony window._

 _"And where is everyone else?" Maleficent asked._

 _"Beats me. They musta had some other matters to deal with." Pete said._

 _"'Matters'? You mean they had more important affairs to attend to than my return?" Maleficent asked._

 _"Well, see, there's this Organization XIII that keeps getting in the way-" Pete said._

 _"Let those fools play their little game!" Maleficent said._

 _"But what about those pesky runts with the Keyblade? They've been real pains, too." Pete said._

 _"Oh, have they? Very well, then. I suppose you'd best tell me what's happened during my absence." Maleficent said._


	24. Disney Castle

My Pov

The world we came to next was Disney Castle. Mickey, Donald and Goofy's home. I wondered how Minnie and Daisy were. The last time I saw them was at the Dream Festival eleven years ago. We landed in the gummi hanger and I instantly felt something was wrong. I felt a dark presence. So did Salamon, as she was growling slightly. Donald and Goofy felt something was wrong too.

"This is your castle... Must be nice to be back home, huh?" Sora asked. I picked up on the slight sadness in Sora's voice. He missed the islands. I did too. "Well?"

"Ya know, somethin' just don't feel quite right..." Goofy said.

"Yeah." Donald said. I heard scurrying and saw two chipmunks. It was Chip and Dale!

"You're back!" Chip exclaimed.

"Move it! Let's go!" Dale exclaimed.

"Queen Minnie needs to see you!" Chip said.

"The castle's in danger! Hurry! To the library!" Dale said. What did they mean by 'danger'? We went up the hanger stairs and outside into the garden. It was beautiful. Just as we started for the doors, Heartless started popping up.

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed.

"What are Heartless doing here?" Goofy asked. Now I knew something was wrong. We fought our way through to the library. We entered the library to see Minnie. Donald saluted.

"Your Majesty! Queen Minnie! We're back!" Donald announced. She was overjoyed to see Donald and Goofy were back.

"You're here!" Minnie said.

"You Royal Highness, did ya happen to summon us?" Goofy asked.

"Yes." Minnie said.

"Where's the king?" Sora asked. I face-palmed myself. Did Sora have no respect for higher authority? I grabbed his hood and pushed him down. Salamon pushed Veemon's head down.

"I'm so sorry, Minnie. This is Sora." I said. That's when Minnie recognized me along with Sora.

"Oh! Hikari, Sora! The King told me all about you in his letters. He said you're a very brave young man." Sora smiled Minnie's comment. "And Hikari, the King told me what an amazing young woman you've become." Minnie said. I felt flattered now too.

"So, do you know where he is?" Sora asked. She shook her head no. We all sighed, hoping that Mickey would've told his own wife where he was.

"Your Majesty, what are the Heartless doing in your castle?" Donald asked.

"Oh my... So those are the Heartless." Minnie said.

"Don't worry, Minnie. We'll get rid of them!" I said. Minnie looked at us.

"I know I can count on you all, Hikari. Now, there's something I'd like all of you to come and see. Would you please escort me to the audience chamber?" Minnie asked.

"Hut!" We all said and saluted. Veemon saluted, while Salamon simply stood straight. Minnie suddenly gasped.

"I forgot to warn everyone else in the castle about the danger! We must be sure they're hidden somewhere safe!" Minnie said.

"Okay, we'll go tell them." Sora said.

"The whole castle!?" Donald exclaimed.

"We just gotta split up, Donald." Goofy said.

"Hikari and I will make sure that everyone knows what's going on." Sora said.

"No, Sora, you'll just yourself and Hikari lost!" Donald said.

"Then, you and Goofy warn everyone. Sora and I will stay with Minnie." I said. Donald and Goofy ran to warn the inhabitants of the castle.

"Um, the audience chamber, right, ma'am?" Sora asked.

"Yes, Sora. Let's be on our way." Minnie said. We hurried to the large doors that were in the hallway, while protecting Minnie from the Heartless. We got to the doors. Minnie raised her hand and the seal over the door disappeared. A smaller door opened at the bottom of one of the larger doors. We entered the audience chamber, only to find it full of Heartless. We hurried to the throne with Minnie using Faith to help ward off the Heartless. We made it to the throne.

"Come on, gimme a break!" Sora whined. Suddenly the platform we were standing on began to shake. There was a large bright light that caused me and Sora to cover our eyes. When light faded, we saw all of the Heartless had been destroyed. "Hikari, your clothes!" I looked to see they had changed. I now wore a dress composed of a very pale pink-white blouse with lilac ruffles on each sleeve cuff to match the collar. At the center of the neck was a yellow bow with a sapphire droplet gem hanging from it. On each side of the chest was a yellow and gold band of material, which stretches from the collar to the stomach, where a white band was. The band was lined by yellow and gold material and has three gold buttons at the center. The skirt was yellow with gold diamonds all over it to give it a lined pattern. Going around the bottom of the skirt were white daisies with small green leaf. White ruffles lined the bottom of the skirt. It came with a simple gold bracelet. On my feet were pink solid-wedge shoes with a powder blue line around the foot insertion. The toe and tongue portion was white with two ribbons across it, the top pale pink, the bottom light yellow. On the heel was a small yellow flower, along with a blue one(Look at Aikatsu; Yellow Sailor Coord).

"This is weird." I said. We looked to see there was a staircase.

"The room below is called the 'Hall of the Cornerstone.' Our castle has always been safe from worlds that are evil... thanks to the Cornerstone of Light which we keep down there." Minnie said.

"The Cornerstone... of Light?" Sora asked. We went down the stairs into the room. Except it was dark and there were long vines if thorns spread out through the entire room. Donald and Goofy soon joined us.

"This is the castle's cherished Cornerstone. But look. The thorns... They must be the work of someone very evil. I wonder what this could mean..." Minnie said. Suddenly, a spout of green and black fire flared up in front of the Cornerstone. Then, the evil fairy, Maleficent appeared. Salamon and Veemon were hissing and growling more than I had ever seen them do.

"Maleficent!" Donald exclaimed.

"No way..." Sora said in disbelief. Starlight appeared in my hand.

"YOU!" I exclaimed.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? If it isn't the wretched Keyblade holder and his pitiful lackeys!" Maleficent said.

"What!? Now you're gonna deal with me!" Donald exclaimed. Donald rushed toward her, but went through instead. Figures she sends a hologram of herself.

"All in good time. I promise you'll partake of my vengeance. But you must be patient." Maleficent said.

"What are you doing here, witch?!" I asked. She turned to me and Minnie.

"Ah, Queen Minnie and Princess Hikari. Radiant, as always." Maleficent said. Maleficent declared that she would make Disney Castle her own.

"Where is Riku? Where is he?!" I demanded.

"Somewhere in the darkness, rotting away." Maleficent said. No... That wasn't true! It wasn't! I held my head and slumped to the ground. Salamon ran to my side. The evil witch cackled and disappeared. Sora knelt down to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and hugged me.

"Don't listen to that hag, Hikari. Riku's alright." Sora assured me. I wiped a stray tear away from my eye and Sora helped me stand. He, Donald and Goofy went back to Hollow Bastion to get Merlin while I stayed back to protect Minnie.


	25. Ol' Timeless River

My Pov

Merlin poofed himself and others back to the Hall. Merlin summoned a strange door. He told us that something was causing trouble in the world the door lead to. He warned us not to do anything to alter the world. Sora opened the door and we all stepped through. There was some shaking and then something forced us forward. I looked down at the ground to see was a gray color. That's when I looked all around the area to see everything was black and white.

"Hey, look! There's the Cornerstone of Light!" We looked at the direction Goofy pointed and saw the large stone sitting on four small rocks. Sora then looked at himself.

"What's going on? Everything's black and white." Sora said. I looked at Donald and Goofy and stifled a laugh. They both looked so funny looking. I also notice my clothes were all black and white and were much more simpler. I saw Salamon and Veemon and they were shades of gray, black and white and looked much simpler.

"Hey, this is kinda like... um... uh..." Donald stammered.

"Déjà vu?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, that's it!" Donald said.

"Have you guys been here before?" I asked. Just then, someone ran past us. I couldn't believe it. It was Pete! He turned to us.

"Hey you! Seen any bad guys around here?" Pete asked. We all pointed to him. This got him mad. "Why I oughta..." We got ready to fight. "Bah! I don't have time to waste on punks like you. So, I guess I'll go easy on ya!" Pete runs off toward of to the pier.

"Well, there's our villain." Sora said. While Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement, I wasn't sure. There was something off about the Pete we had just seen. Plus, neither Salamon or Veemon had growled at him. We followed him to the pier.

"What's with you squirts? You got some kinda bone to pick with me?" Pete asked, annoyed.

"More than one!" Sora said.

"Them's fighting words!" Pete said. That's when the sound of a whistle interrupted the argument. Pete started going off, but we stepped in front of him.

"Not so fast!" Sora said.

"Yeah!" Donald said. We fought Pete and my thought that he wasn't the same Pete grew as we defeated him rather easily. Not only that but while we fought, anytime he was hit he'd panic and run like a scared little girl. He also didn't call any Heartless to back him up.

"What's you punks' beef with me anyway?" He cocked his head to a side, as if not recognizing us. "Who are ya? You new around here?" Pete asked. Now I was positive this wasn't the same Pete we knew.

"Cut the act." Sora said. Again, some kind of whistle sounded. Pete tried to get up, but a large cracking sound indicated he hurt something and fell backwards in pain.

"You know, somethin' doesn't seem quite right here. Are you sure you're Pete?" Goofy asked.

"Well, of COURSE I'm Pete. I'm the captain of the steamboat. So stop botherin' me, see?" Then there was another large crack. "So hit the road! I gotta go find the little runt what stole my steamboat!" Pete exclaimed.

"Gawrsh, maybe we made a mistake." Goofy said.

"I'm starting to think the same thing. He hasn't even called any Heartless." Sora pointed out.

"Yeah. I'm not getting a bad vibe from him like usual." Veemon said.

"We own him an apology." I said.

"We do. We did attack him for no reason." Salamon agreed.

"Sorry we attacked ya like that, Capta'n Pete." Goofy said.

"Oh yeah? Well, if you're really sorry, then go find my steamboat." Pete said.

"Y-yes sir!" Sora said. Again, there was a sharp cracking sound and poor Captain Pete slumped to the ground in pain.

"Ooh, my achin' back." Pete complained. We decided to both look for the door and Pete's steamboat. We went back up to Cornerstone Hill to see four strange doors. Then, a strange floating theater appeared. Donald pulled on the rope and the curtains opened. It revealed that shortly before we arrived, Heartless had gone through the doors. We need to get rid of those Heartless before they cause any damage to this world. We managed to get rid of the Heartless in each of the little places the doors held. Each time we got rid of the Heartless, 'Mickey' would come and shake my and Sora's hand. After that, Donald opened the last theater to reveal Pete was the one who was causing trouble.

"Pete tricked us!" Donald exclaimed.

"Donald, something still doesn't click with the Pete here." I said.

"The Pete here did have an attitude, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy." Sora said.

"Look!" Goofy exclaimed. We looked to see the Pete we knew looking over the area.

"Now that castle's as good as ours!" Pete exclaimed. He ran off. Then, we discovered the Cornerstone of Light was stolen! The Disney castle would be filled with darkness if we didn't get it back. He hurried after Pete. We followed him to the pier to see the other Pete was there too. Evil Pete was using Good Pete's steamboat to steal the Cornerstone. Evil Pete got the boat running and started hurling stiff at us. Sora and I would counter it and send it back to hit Pete. We knocked him out and the boat swung around to us.

"Raichu, use Psychic to break the cage." Sora said. Raichu's eyes glowed light blue before the cage cracked under the pressure and broke. The Evil Pete headed back to the doorway and the Good Pete followed him.

"Do you think the Cornerstone will be all right if we leave it here?" I asked.

"It'll be fine." Sora said. We hurried to find the two Petes fighting. We needed to stop him. Fighting Pete was no big challenge. The real challenge was when Pete would change the scenery to one of the scenes from the doors. We finally came to the construction site scene. The rafter we were on would always propel us into midair and we would attack Pete while we were hanging there.

"Sora, together!" I said. He nodded. When we got propelled in the air, we both attacked Pete and defeated him. Pete, in frustration, summoned the door he had used to get here.

"Sora! Hikari!" Donald shouted.

"We know!" Sora said. We pointed our Keyblades at the door and locked it.

"Would somebody tell me what's been goin' on here? Who was that creep, anyways?" the good Pete asked.

"Hello? That creep was-" I slapped my hand over Sora's mouth. "you from the future!" Sora said. Luckily that part was muffled.

"Sora, hush!" I said. Pete apologized for making us go through everything and actually let us use his steamboat. We used it to get the Cornerstone back to the hill. "Well, the caste should be safe."

"Wait! As long as were here..." Donald muttered.

"Donald!" the three of us exclaimed. Me and Sora each grabbed one of our duck friend's arms and threw him through the door. We came back to the Disney Castle to see the thorns had disappeared. Daisy soon came into the Hall and Donald was happy to see her. She scolded him for forgetting about a date that they had. She started chasing around the Hall. Suddenly, the Cornerstone started glowing. Together, me and Sora opened a new path. We left the castle. I was unaware that someone was watching us from afar.

* * *

?'s Pov

I watched as my princess left Disney Castle. Why couldn't I bring myself to show myself to her? It was my fear of what she would think if she saw me like this. I decided to seek advice from Yami. I walked through the corridor and appeared in Hollow Bastion, with Kudamon right behind me. I walked a ways to her home. I peered in and saw her in a rocking chair. I let myself in and she instantly summoned the Keyblade she still owned, while her Viximon digivolved to Renamon and went on the offensive. It took her a second to realize it was me.

"Riku..." Yami muttered.

"It's been awhile, Yami." I pulled off my hood and she gasped. "You have a right to be surprised." I said. A small cry erupted from the cradle next to her. Yami knelt down and picked up a small baby. "Who...?"

"I was trying to tell you so many times for two months, Riku." Yami said. She tilted the baby for me to see the baby had ice blue hair and sapphire blue eyes. Just like Hikari. "Meet your son, Tai." My eyes widen.


	26. Port Royal

Riku's Pov

I stood there, dumbstruck at what Yami said. I looked at the baby and noticed he looked like I had when I was a baby.

"Th-that's crazy! How could that be my baby? Me and Hikari-" I said, but stop. That's when I remembered that one moment. The moment when I... raped Hikari. The timing was right. The baby, Tai, was my son. I slumped to the ground holding my face in my hands. Kudamon tapped on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Riku." Kudamon said. Yami walked over to me and knelt down.

"Riku... I know what you're thinking; that you don't deserve to be near him, but he needs you. Hikari's already seen him." Yami said. She held him out to me. I was nervous at first. Yami showed me how to hold him. Suddenly, Tai reached up, touching my heart and I felt a rush of warm light fill it. I became cloaked in light for a split second. When the light faded, I was back to my original form. I removed my blindfold and got a better look at my son. I held back the tears that began to sting my eyes.

"When I look at you, I see me. But when I look into your eyes, into your heart, I see your mother." I said. I cradled him closely. He gently tugged on a strand of my hair and cooed. I moved him a little so Kudamon could see him better.

"This is his first time meeting you, but he already knows you." Yami said.

"His name's Tai. That's short for Taiyō, right?" I asked. She nodded. His name meant 'sun'. Hikari couldn't have chosen a better name. I handed my little boy back to Yami and I became Ansem again. I put my hood back on.

"Riku, what if Hikari asks me about you?" Yami asked. I sighed. I wanted her to know I was alright, but I didn't want her to know about the change in my appearance.

"Tell her you've seen me, but don't tell her about my appearance." I said. She nodded. As I went to walk through the corridor, I heard a small squeal. I turned slightly to see Tai trying to reach me. I sadly smiled and walked into the dark portal.

* * *

My Pov

We arrive in a dark and murky place. Where were we? This didn't look like any of the worlds we had been to before. I looked toward the ocean to see nothing but that. That's when screams echoed through the air. We all ran near a staircase and looked toward the town that wasn't too far away.

"What's happening over there?" I asked.

"Something's up." Sora said.

"Organization XIII?" Goofy asked.

"Or the Heartless!" Donald said.

"Whatever it is, we have to help those people." I said. We ran to the harbor and saw Pete with several pirates. The leader and Pete left and we were left to deal with rest of them.

"Aw, we only get to stomp on a few of you?" Sora asked. I shuddered a little. Something was off about these guys. There was some kind of evil aura around them. The moment we starting to fight them, I knew that something was wrong with these pirates. Just like with Hades, it felt like there was some kind of barrier around all of them. Then, the moon came out from behind the clouds and the pirates became skeleton-like. I cringed at this horrific sight and Salamon coward behind me. That's when I felt the evil aura lessen.

"I think we can beat them now!" I said. And we could. We defeated all of the pirates. Pete ran off to a ship.

"There's bound to be more of them!" Donald said.

"Weren't some of them heading toward town?" Sora asked. We hurried to the town and saw one of the pirates carrying a woman over his shoulder with another man chasing after him. The other man was stopped by the Heartless. We stepped in to protect him.

"Go help your friend!" He ran after the man and woman while we dealt with the Heartless. Afterwards the man came back. "Did you lose sight of them?" I asked.

"Yes, but thanking for helping me. My name is William Turner." the man said. I curtsied.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Turner. I'm Hikari and the is Salamon." I said.

"*coughs* Princess *coughs*." Sora said. I gently pushed him.

"Princess Hikari." Will bowed in respect. "These are my friends Sora, Veemon, Donald and Goofy." I said.

"Please, I need your help to rescue Miss Swann." Will said.

"Of course!" Sora said. We hurried to the docks just in time to see a ship sailing away.

"We're too late! Those pirates have Miss Swann and now I'll never be able to find her!" Will said. Then we heard a voice. We turned to see a man.

"Then she's long gone. The Black Pearl is nigh uncatchable. Best find yourself another girl, mate." a voice said. We looked to see a pirate sitting on the mast of a ship. He hopped on to a ship.

"You... What are you doing aboard the Interceptor? She's off limits to civilians." Will said.

"Ah, fortunate that I'm going to commander her, then. She'll make a fine pirate ship." the man said. I could feel the excitement and glee radiating from Sora. "Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please."

"Take me with you. Help me hunt down the Black Pearl and save Miss Swann. I got you out of that jail cell, Sparrow. Do this and your debt's repaid." Will said.

"You'll have to win fair lady's heart alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me." Jack said. Typical pirate. Wanting something in exchange for a favor.

"C'mon, Captain!" Sora begged.

"It would be best if you had help. I mean, can you manage this ship on your own?" I asked. Jack seemed to take that into thought.

"You have a point there, lass." Jack said. With that, we board the ship.

"Thank you, Mr. Sparrow." I said.

"CAPTAIN Sparrow." Jack said.

"I'm Will Turner." Will said.

"That would be short for William, I imagine. No doubt name for your father?" Jack asked.

"Yes." Will answered.

"Well then, Mr. Turner. You get us ready to make way." Jack walked over to us. "Don't believe you introduced yourselves." Jack said.

"I'm Sora. Next to me is my partner, Veemon. This is Donald and Goofy. That's Hikari and next to her is her partner, Salamon." Sora said.

"Princess!" Donald corrected.

"Well, I suggest you keep the princess in sight at all times as soon as we sent sail. Barbossa and his crew are more animals than men. They get their hands on her... well, I'm sure you get the idea." Jack said. I gripped Sora's hand. He knew my fear. In fact, being on a pirate ship just made me remember that time.


	27. Riku

My Pov

We had been sailing for a while. I had to sit down because my head was killing me. I don't know why, but ever since we set sail I've had this splitting headache and it seems to get worst with each passing minute. Sora seemed to notice.

"Hikari, are you alright?" Sora asked. I shook my head. Salamon rubbed her head on my leg.

"I feel like someone is repeatedly hitting me on the head with a hammer. It's not seasickness, that much I know." I said. I propped my elbow on the side and held my head up with my hand. Sora rubbed my back.

"Maybe you should go down into the cabin and rest." Sora said. I nodded and walked down into the lower room, Salamon following close behind. There was a small bench so I decided to lay down. I lay back and let the rocking of the ship lull me to sleep. My dreams were only filled with Riku.

* * *

 _Dream_

 _I was playing hide-and-seek with Riku. I knew he wouldn't find me this time. I clutched Nyaromon close to me. I heard footsteps shuffling the sand not too far from me. I peeked to see it was Riku and Kyaromon. I covered my and Nyaromon's mouths to keep myself from making any sound. I heard the footsteps fade away. I peeked out to see Riku wasn't there anymore. I sighed, knowing I had fooled him. I turned around to see him looking down at me._

 _"How did you-? You were over there!" I said. He laughed a little. How did he get around without me seeing him?_

 _"Well, I just made sure not to shift the ground underneath my feet too much, that way you didn't hear me." Riku said._

 _"Oh..." I said. I really thought I had him. Kyaromon jumped up and nuzzled Nyaromon then me. "That tickles, Kyaromon!"_

 _"But, the reason I knew where you were is because I saw you peek out from your hiding place. I caught a glimpse of your hair when you went back to hiding. If you hadn't had done that, I probably would've given up." Riku explained. I mentally cursed myself. He held out his hand and I shyly took it. He helped me up and I dusted off my skirt._

 _"So, you're saying I'm getting better?" I asked._

 _"A little too much." Riku said._

 _"What do you mean?" I asked._

 _"I mean I was getting worried. I want to be able to find you so I can keep you safe from danger. If I can't find you, I can't protect you." Riku said. I blushed a little._

 _"Well then, I'm sorry for hiding too well." I said. That's when we heard dad calling us._

 _"Riku! Hikari! Time to go home." Dad called. Riku took my hand and we hurried back to dad._

* * *

Sora's Pov

We arrived at Isla de Muerta where the stone chest was originally kept. Pirate logic lead Jack and Will to believe it was here. Jack told us to wait and guard the ship. He said it was to keep the ship safe, but he also reminded us that Hikari was on board and that she was sleeping in the lower deck. I couldn't risk one of those animals getting his hands on her. After awhile we decided to go see what was taking them.

* * *

Riku's Pov

I found myself on a pirate ship. Why was here? From most of the times, the corridor took me to wherever Hikari was. I had seen Sora, Donald and Goofy go into the cave. I noticed two doors just under the quarter deck. I opened the doors and walked down the small set of stairs into the Captain's cabin. There I saw Hikari sleeping peacefully on a bench. Salamon was curled up next to her. I walked over to her and knelt down to her level. She was laying on her side, breathing softly. I noticed the small strands of her hair that swayed in front of her face. The hair clip I had given her had been crushed by Ansem after Kage gave it to me in Castle Oblivion. I gently pushed the strands out of her face and tucked them behind her ear. She shifted slightly.

"Riku..." Like the time before, when I had appeared in the gummi ship during her first journey, she was calling for me. She was right here, but I didn't want to wake her up. "Riku... Where are you...? I miss you... I love you..." Hikari whimpered. I clenched my other hand into a fist. There was no harm in me staying here till Sora got back. Someone had to protect her. I watched as she slept. However, I made the mistake of cupping her cheek. Her eyes snapped open and I moved away from her. "Who are you!" She summoned her Keyblade. Salamon snapped awake and started growling.

"I'm not here to hurt you." I said. She wasn't convinced. Then, her facial expression changed from anger to shock.

"You're... Ansem!" Crap. "Bastard!" Hikari yelled. She swung at me and I managed to get out of the way. Salamon started attacking Kudamon. I was trapped in that small room. I manage to escape to the doors and outside. I summoned a corridor but before I could go through it,I was tackled to the ground. "You're not escaping me!" I had no choice. I pushed her off me. Before she could recover and get up, I grabbed her wrists and pinned her the floor. I felt her tense up. Kudamon pinned Eve down.

"You need to calm down." I said.

"And you need to get the hell off me!" Hikari shouted. Man, when did she get a temper? "Where's Riku? What have you done to him?" I didn't know how to respond.

* * *

My Pov

Ansem didn't say anything. I wanted answers out of this monster. I wanted to know what had really become of Riku. Whether he was lost in the darkness or out there in another world. Salamon suddenly started barking happily and nuzzling Ansem's Kudamon. What was up with her?

"He's fine." Ansem said.

"Liar! You've done something to him!" I shouted.

"You really want to know that badly?" Ansem asked.

"Of course! I need to let Riku know I forgive him for everything! It wasn't his fault! And I need to tell him-" I said, but was cut off by Ansem.

"That he's the father of your son." Ansem finished. My eyes widen in horror. How did he know? My conclusion was that he had Tai.

"I swear on Kingdom Hearts itself, of you've even laid a finger on my baby-" I said, but was again cut off by Ansem.

"I did nothing to harm him." I narrowed my eyes at him. That's when he cupped my cheek. I tensed up at his gentle touch. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt him or you." Ansem said. Did this guy think I had forgotten all that he had done to us?

"Why not when you've hurt me already?" I asked. I felt more weight be put on me. Ansem leaned in and kissed me on the lips. My eyes squeezed shut as tears ran down my face. It was going to happen again. I was going to be violated. Except this time by the Heartless of the man who had destroyed my life. My heart ached. Riku's smiling face flashed through my mind. _'Riku, please forgive me. I'm not strong enough to fight him off. I'm sorry.'_ When Ansem stopped kissing me, I saw it.


	28. Small Happiness

My Pov

I snapped my eyes opened and looked at Ansem. I closed them again and saw black. Then, I saw **him**. Riku. Riku was the one hovering over me. I opened my eyes again, this time with tears of joy welling up in them. He was here. He was all right.

"Ri... ku..." I whispered. The tears streamed down my face.

"Hikari..." Riku mumbled. His voice. It wasn't Ansem's anymore. It was his own voice. He used his thumb to wipe some of my tears away. I couldn't control myself. I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around Riku's neck.

"Riku! Riku! You're here! You're really here!" I cried. I buried my face into his neck. I felt his arms encircle themselves around me. I felt so safe and at ease. I always felt that way when Riku held me. Now I know why Salamon was so happy. The Kudamon with Riku _was_ his Kudamon. "Where have you been? Sora and I have been looking for you!"

"I didn't want you two to see me like this." Riku said. I faced him and looked right into his eyes.

"I wouldn't have cared. And I know Sora won't either." I said. He didn't seem so sure. That's when I remembered he brought up Tai. "Riku, did you meet... our-"

"Our son?" I nodded. "Yeah, I saw him." Riku said.

"He's a beautiful baby. I know he's going to be a great Keyblade warrior someday." I said.

"I could see you in him. His eyes reflected you. And his heart; darkness and light co-exist in his like mine and yours." Riku said.

"That just means he's special." I said. Riku suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace. Like he was afraid I would vanish.

"Hikari, I hurt you so much. I allowed myself to be blinded by lies and my lust for power that I lost sight of what was important." Riku said.

"What?" I asked.

"The power I already had gained from my friends and most importantly; my light. You." I blushed. "I hurt you, betrayed you, and yet, you forgive me." Riku said. I lightly pecked him on the cheek.

"It wasn't your fault. And... I know that the whole year Sora and I slept, you were suffering. I could hear your voice whenever you came to see me." I said.

"We got get out of here!" Sora yelled. Sora and the others were coming back.

"Hikari... I can't stay." I was about to object when he kissed me again. This time, I melted into the kiss. Riku pulled his hood back up. "Hold on to this. It'll help keep you safe." Riku said. He placed something in my hand before disappearing into a portal, with Kudamon right behind him.

"Hikari!" Donald cried. I looked to see Sora and the others had found Elizabeth, but Jack was missing.

"Was there someone else on board with ya?" Goofy asked. I quickly shook my head 'no'.

"We need to set sail now! They aren't far behind us." Will said.

"But what about-?" I started to ask.

"Don't let them escape!" a voice shouted. I saw about three of the cursed pirates coming toward us. As they drew closer, my headache began again and got worst. Sora grabbed me and brought me back down to the lower deck as Will steered the ship from the island.

"Hikari, what's wrong?" Sora asked.

"I think it has to do with those cursed pirates." I said.

"Then, stay down here until we reach Port Royal." Sora said. He went back up to the upper deck. I opened my palm to see Riku had given me a ring. It was a silver ring with a small heart cut sapphire in the middle. I slid it on my ring finger. I don't why that finger, but I felt like that's where it was suppose to be. It's not like Riku was going to propose to me... was he? I blushed at the thought. Suddenly the ship started to shake. After it stopped, I heard commotion on the upper deck. I thought of going up there, but I decided to hide behind the barrels and wait. That's when Sora and the others were brought down here and tied up. After the pirates left, I came out of hiding.

"Your Majesty!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Glad to see they hadn't captured everyone." Jack said. As I untied everyone, I noticed Will was gone.

"Salamon, Veemon, start chewing the ropes." I said. They did just that. "Where's Will?"

"Barbossa took him back to Isla de Muerta." Donald said.

"We need to hurry there! He's in danger!" Elizabeth said.

"We've got one problem we need to deal with first; Barbossa rigged the ship with several barrels full of gunpowder. We don't deal with them-" Jack said. We got the picture. Sora, Donald, Goofy and I hurried to the upped deck to see Heartless trying to blow up the barrels. We soon dealt with them.

"V-Headbutt!" Veemon said. He headbutted several barrels into the ocean.

"Petty Punch!" Salamon said. She punched the Heartless away from the last barrel before punching the last barrel into the ocean. We sailed back to Isla de Muerta and hurried to find Will. We found them at the deepest part of the cave.

"Ahoy! Treasure, mateys!" Sora exclaimed. Was Sora really wanting to put on the pirate act now? The cursed pirates charged at us, but I had enough. I knocked all of the pirates away myself.

"Enough of this!" I said.

"I can never thank you enough, Your Highness." Will said.

"Your my friend Will. Please, call me Hikari." I said.

"Uh, where's Jack?" Goofy asked. We looked to see he was sword fighting with Barbosa. They seemed even, until Jack's sword was knocked down and Barbossa ran him through.

"Jack!" Sora exclaimed.

"No!" I exclaimed.

"You're a fool, Jack Sparrow." Jack stumbled into the view of moonlight and turned skeleton-like. He had managed to grab a piece of the Aztec gold. Thank goodness. "Show yourself, Pete! The tide has changed." Barbossa said. Pete appeared with a lizard-like Heartless. It would shroud the area in darkness, which would keep Barbossa from being attacked. I decided to do something about that. I raise Starlight into the air.

"Eternal Moon!" I shouted. I shot a sphere of light, that took the shape of a small moon, and slightly illuminated the cave. We defeated the Heartless. It disappeared in a haze of darkness and we defeated Barbossa.

"This ain't over!" Pete yelled. He ran off.

"Really? Because you're the one running away like a scared cat with it's tail in-between its legs." I said. Donald and Goofy laughed while Sora lightly slapped me on the back.

"Nice one." Sora said.

"Right! Care to surrender, Barbossa?" Barbossa drew his sword. Jack sighed "Well, enough of this, then..." Jack tossed his sword to the ground. Then, he drew a gun. "What say you we call it- a draw?" Jack asked.

"Jack, how many times do I have to tell ya-" Barbossa said. He threw something to Will and shot the evil pirate.

"Laugh while you can, Barbossa!" Will exclaimed. Will dropped the last two pieces of the cursed gold into the chest. Suddenly Barbossa staggered and gripped his chest.

"I feel... cold." Barbossa said. With that, he fell to the ground. We went back outside to see Elizabeth waiting. She ran to Will and hugged him. I smiled at this sight.

"I'm happy for them." I said.

"Yep." Sora said. I happen to turn and see Sora and Veemon's faces was red.

"Sora, are you getting sick?" I asked.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Your face is all red." Goofy said. Sora started to panic.

"What? It is not red!" Sora exclaimed. It only took me a second to realize why.

"Aw, I know who you're thinking about." Donald teased.

"You're thinking of my cousin, aren't you Sora?" I asked, teasing him.

"And you're thinking of Labramon, right Veemon?" Salamon teased. They tried to hide their blush while the three of us laughed. Suddenly, Jack's compass started to glow. Me and Sora unlocked the new road and set out shortly after.


	29. Two Holidays

My Pov

We arrived in Halloween Town, but I couldn't help but feel something was different about. I looked at Salamon and Veemon. They each had become black again.

"Hey, this is Halloween Town, right?" Sora asked.

"Well, it sure does look like Hallowee... Wha?" Donald stopped and turned his head toward the square. We looked to see lights streamed up on the walls. What in the world? We went to Guillotine Square to see it decorated like a plaza during Christmas. I noticed some kind of ramp.

"What's that for?" Sora asked.

"I don't know. Something's really off here..." I said. That's when the growing sound of bells filled the air. What was that and where was it coming from?

"It's Jack!" Donald exclaimed. We all looked to where Donald pointed and saw Jack steering a sleigh with three skeleton reindeer pulling it. Who did he think he was? The Santa Claus of Halloween? He landed the sleigh and noticed us.

"Sora, Hikari, Donald and Goofy! Welcome back, and Merry Christmas!" Jack exclaimed. Merry Christmas? Salamon and Veemon tilted their heads in confusion.

"Huh?" Veemon and Salamon asked.

"Merry Christmas? Don't you mean 'Happy Halloween'?" Sora asked.

"Of course. Halloween greetings from Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King." He put on a frightening face. "Forgive me. I'm in a Christmas mood. You see, I'm running the show again this year-but I need Sandy Claws's blessing, so I'm off to Christmas Town." Jack said.

"'Sandy Claws'?" Sora asked.

"I think he means Santa Claus." I said.

"Aren't these decorations wonderful? This year Halloween Town's going to be handling Christmas too!" Jack said. Just the thought of a Halloween Town Christmas made me shudder. Jack couldn't do this. He had his own holiday to attend to. We went back to the doctor's lab. He was working on something. I noticed that the three troublemakers were helping him.

"Hey, this is way too heavy!" Lock whined.

"Then let's toss it!" Shock suggested.

"You do and you'll be sorry! Now bring it over here! the doctor yelled.

"Heave-ho!" the trio said. They toss the part into the air.

"Salamon! Veemon! Catch it!" I yelled. The both jumped and grabbed the part before it could touch the ground.

"No fair!" the three whined. They ran out of lab. Veemon and Salamon gently moved it to the table.

"Thank you, Hikari. I don't know why I bother having those three imbeciles helping me." the doctor said. Probably to keep them from causing trouble to everyone else.

"Sally! Did you finish it? I want to show my good friends." Jack said.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I... I need a little bit more time." Sally said.

"Ohh... Well, that's all right. Just as long it's ready for Christmas!" Jack said.

"But... Jack..." Sally said.

"I'd best be off. I've got to go get Sandy Claws, right away! Wonderful to see you again. Good-bye for now!" Jack said.

"Go get Santa Claus..." Sora said.

"Hikari, Sora, please. I'm afraid something terrible will happen if Jack goes through with this." Sally said.

"You can say that again!" Donald exclaimed.

"Sora?" Goofy asked. I saw he had that happy, daydream look on his face. I shook his shoulder to get him to snap out of it.

"Are those strange-looking fellows in the town square with you?" Jack asked.

"What fellows are you talking about?" I asked.

"You know, the ones who wanted to spoil Halloween AND Christmas? What are they called again... Heartless?" Jack asked.

"They're definitely not with us. But Hikari, Donald, Goofy and I can get rid of them for you. And then, we can see Santa!" Sora said. Veemon's eyes lit up. I stifled my giggles. Sora may be fifteen, but he still acts like he's five sometimes. Donald gave him a stern look. "But first, the Heartless!" We hurried outside to see Heartless crowding the square. We easily took care of them. Jack then requested we go with him to Christmas Town to protect Santa. Jack took us to the Hinterlands where the doors of the holidays were.

"Here it is! The door to Christmas Town. The spooks of Halloween can get so tiresome year after year. I wanted something new. And I found this! Beyond this door is a world filled with wonders...the likes of which you've never seen! As first I couldn't believe my eyes! Everything was so fresh and exciting!" Jack beamed. Jack opened the door and we all jumped in, slowly falling into a spiral of swirling snow.

I opened my eyes to see snow covering the ground. I got up and saw my appearance changed. My hair was now white and my eyes were light blue. I noticed Sora, Donald and Goofy had changed too.

.Sora retained the dark, ashen physical appearance, boots, pants, and legs wrappings from his Halloween Town costume. The rest of his clothing, however, changed radically. His mask was replaced by a large, black hat with a white fur rim and a puff ball on the tip, similar to Santa Claus's, that was pulled over the right half of his face. He wears a black shirt with white fur lining, silver crown buttons lining the front, and a faded, brown belt with a silver buckle around his waist and over the shirt. His arms were shown to be unusually thin and have a slight brown tint to them. His gloves turned black and have white fur lining around the cuffs.

.Donald resembled a typical snowman, with a white body that seemed to be made of two large balls of snow stacked on top of each other. His arms seemed to be made of branches, his tail was a small, red gardening trowel, and he had two coal "buttons" on his chest. His legs and head appeared unchanged, and he wore red and white spats on his feet, a scarf with red and green stripes around his neck, and a blue shako in place of his usual hat.

.Goofy took on the traits of a reindeer. His clothing changed into a reddish-brown suit similar to the one worn by Santa Claus, with white fur lining around the sleeves. He wore a loose, red belt with a gold buckle around his waist and red mittens with green ribbons tied on them. His feet became light tan and have brown hooves, and a green wreath hung from his neck. Goofy's nose glowed orange, reminiscent of the popular Christmas story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Two black, elegantly curled antlers sprouted from the top of his head.

.I took on the traits of a rainbow snow fairy. I wore a tank top composed of green, turqoise, golden yellow, and orange. A pattern of various white speckles and dots, along with snowflakes were printed on it. Across the top of the chest were white frills with a crystal snowflake at the center. Attached to it was a strap of white on each arm with white tulle between them and the frilly collar on the neck. Below the chest was a band of light snow lined in tiny white ruffles and a pattern of snowflakes between a dot and smaller snowflake. It came with a pair of gloves with a sapphire bracelet on each wrist and a snowflake pattern on the arm portion; one glove was blue to green gradient, while the other was pink to orange. Around the neck was a beaded necklace of sky blue and two yellow beads attached to a blue sphere. A two layer skirt. The top was a short orange with pink gradiant tutu with a row of snowflakes of various sizes between small blue dots stretches around it like a belt. The second layer was a green, teal, orange, golden yellow gradient with snowflakes of various sizes and shapes print of the bottoms. On my feet were white shoes with white heels, and a pink and orange gradient color in the socks. The word Christmas was written on the top of the socks in pink(Look at Aikatsu; Snowflake Coord). I looked at Salamon and Veemon. Both had become snow white and their eyes had become ice blue. I looked forward and saw Christmas Town.

"It's beautiful." I said.

"Where's Santa?" Donald asked.

"In his workshop." Jack said. We headed in that direction. Hopefully, the Heartless hadn't gotten to this world.


	30. Santa Claus

My Pov

We made it to the small little town, only to have toy-like Heartless appear.

"Not here too!" I said.

"En grade, loyal bodyguards!" Jack exclaimed. We quickly took out the Heartless. Good thing Jack asked us to come with him.

"Christmas is in trouble!" Donald exclaimed.

"Good thing were here." Goofy said.

"How is Sandy Claws suppose to relax with all this?" Jack asked. We entered the workshop ayd saw Santa checking his list. He looked up to see all of us.

"Well, hello everyone." It was really him. "Did you come to see if you're on my 'nice' list?" Santa asked.

"Actually, we came here to see if you were alright." I said.

"I'm quite fine Hikari. I'm very appreciative of your concern for my well-being." Santa said. Just then, there was a large crash. It was coming from the factory part of the workshop. "What sort of trouble did you bring with you this time, Jack?"

"This time?" Sora asked.

"Jack, what did you do?" I asked.

"It's a long story!" Jack said. We needed to see what caused that noise. We went into to see Lock, Shock and Barrel escape through a window. What we're they doing here?

"Not those three again." Santa said.

"I can assure you, they're not with us." Jack said.

"They're up to something. I sensed someone else was here. Someone with a dark aura around them." I said.

"Well, whatever the case, they've been quite naughty. Catch them and bring them back here. They're going to get a lecture." Santa said. We hurried outside and saw faded footprints. We followed them back into Halloween Town. Our appearances changed back. The more we followed the footprints, the clearer they became. They ended in the graveyard.

"They went that way!" Donald exclaimed. We hurried into the graveyard and found the trio with a giant Heartless. The jumped into the cage that dangled from its neck.

"Stop them!" Shock screeched.

"Tie 'em down!" Lock shouted.

"Get them!" Barrel exclaimed. The Heartless lifted up the cage, opened its mouth and shook the cage until Barrel fell out.

"Barrel!" Shock and Lock cried. Blue flames surrounded the Heartless as the color of it slightly changed. It then began to snap at us, stretching its mouth and slamming its teeth down trying to get one of us. It lunged toward Donald.

"V-Headbutt!" Veemon exclaimed. Veemon headbutt the Heartless from behind and knocked it off balance. I needed to focus, except this time, on my darkness. The blade of Starlight became cloaked in a purple light. I ran to the top of the hill and jumped from above.

"Nightmare Slash!" I said. As I slashed the Heartless, Barrel dropped back into the cage. As it opened its mouth, Sora dove inside it and did some damage to it. It then attempted the move again, this time swallowing Lock.

"Lock!" Shock and Barrel cried. The Heartless now shot large fireballs at us.

"Puppy Howl!" Salamon managed to deflect two of them back before one exploded not too far from me and her.

"Hikari, Salamon, careful!" Goofy exclaimed.

"I'm fine!" I said. Both Sora and Jack attacked the Heartless and Lock was knocked back into the cage. The Heartless quickly swallowed Shock.

"Shock!" Lock and Barrel cried. Now the Heartless began shooting small embers, but it did so in barges. After doing so much damage to it, the Heartless again swallowed the boys.

"To three, together is the key!" the trio cried. Soon, the Heartless was covered in green flames and began using all of the techniques it had used before. I used a combination of Sparkra and Watera to defeat the Heartless. I collapsed from using so much energy and magic.

"Let's go see if Mr. Oogie is ready yet!" Shock said. The three ran off.

"Oogie? You mean that talking sack of bugs? I should have known. Maleficent probably had something to do with this." I said.

"Hikari, here." Sora said. Sora held out both a Hi-Potion and Ether. I took both and felt better. I went through my pockets and got out several Digi-Cures and Digi-Mints. I restored Salamon and Veemon.

"If Oogie is back, he may be after Sandy Claws. Come on!" Jack said. We made our way back to the Hinterlands, to see Sally running to us. She confirmed our worries. Oogie and Maleficent had Santa. We rushed back to Christmas Town and back to Santa's home. We went into the factory part to see Oogie had redone the whole place. That's when Oogie's ugly laughter came from behind us. He jumped down and rammed into Sally.

"Sally!" I cried. Okay, he's gone far beyond the line.

"Jack Skellington! I've got a score to settle with you. Same goes for your little sidekicks!" Oogie said.

"What are you planning to do with Sandy Claws?" Jack asked.

"Who? Sandy Claws? I don't know what you're talking about!" Oogie said. That's when I saw Santa tied up on a escalator belt. Oogie grabbed him and was about to push him into an incinerator when something was thrown in front of him. Sally had thrown her leg in front of Oogie to distract him. It worked and Santa manage to get to Sally, who took him to safety.

"You're gonna get it Oogie!" I said. Oogie ran through one of the opening and ended up on the lift. This was not as easy as it was last time. He could move the lift anywhere and we had to time lights on the openings to get to the same place. Each time, presents would come out, we'd hit them up to the lift. When enough had been piled up, the lift would break and Oogie would fall on to the belt where we could reach him. I decided to do what I had before. I jabbed the spike on my Keyblade into Oogie's stomach and caused a huge tear in his body.

"What have you done?!" Oogie cried. The bugs swarmed out of Oogie's body. I noticed one and squashed it. After everything settled down, we went outside.

"Perfect! I better get down to business!" Jack said. I face-palmed myself.

"Jack, leave all of this to Santa! He has his job and you have yours!" I exclaimed.

"That's right!" Salamon said.

"Hikari's right. You need to stick to Halloween and spooky stuff!" Goofy said.

"Jack?" I saw Sally carrying something. "Here, it's done." Sally said. She handed him a hand-made Santa suit.

"Wonderful! I love it! Thank you, Sally!" Jack beamed.

"Jack... Do you really have to do this?" Sally asked.

"But I make a splendid Sandy Claws!" Jack said. Was he not listening?

"Listen here, Jack Skellington! You saved me and Christmas as well. For that, I'm very grateful. But please promise you won't cause any more trouble! Don't even think about taking over for me again!" Santa said. Again?

"I just thought you could use a little help this year, Mr. Claws. You must be exhausted from all the preparations. And—I wouldn't mind a second chance to get this Christmas thing right." Jack said.

"Yes, being Santa Claus can be tiring. But let me tell you something, Jack. We both have very important jobs to do, Jack. Mine is to take care of Christmas, and yours is to take care of Halloween. So we each have to do the very best we can. After all, you're the face of Halloween—Mr. Jack Skellington! The Pumpkin King! The Knight of Nightmares! And even though you're fascinated with Christmas, Jack... Halloween is your true specialty. Don't you see? Children rely on both of us to do our jobs. Halloween needs your attention... and I know Christmas needs mine—urgently." Santa said.

"You're right! I am the master of terror! And of Halloween has become too routine, All I have to do is think of something new that'll really make them scream!" Jack declared. Just then, the Mayor came, whining to Jack about the plans for the next Halloween. That's when Jack started glowing. Sora and I unlocked the Keyhole and went on our way.


	31. Agrabah

No one's Pov

 _On the Destiny Islands, the Princess of Heart now remembered everything about her cousin and the boy she cared deeply for. She looked out toward the play island, her sadness growing with each passing second. Labramon stood by her side, unsure of how to comfort her. She was tired of waiting. She wanted to find them._

 _"Maybe... waiting isn't good enough." Kairi said._

 _"My thoughts exactly! If you have a dream, don't wait. Act." a voice said. Kairi looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Labramon did the same. "One of life's rules. Got it memorized?" Then, the rogue Organization XIII member, Axel, appeared in front of her._

 _"Who are you?" Kairi asked. Her Beautifly began flapping its wings as a means of warning her Trainer. Her Labramon hissed and growled slightly._

 _"Axel. I happen to be an acquaintance of Hikari and Sora's. Why don't we go see them?" Axel asked. He held out his hand, beckoning the princess to come with him._

 _"...Sora? ...Hikari?" Kairi mumbled. Just before she made a move a barking noise made her snap out of her daze. She looked to see King Mickey's dog, Pluto, appear next to her._

 _"Kairi!" a small voice called. Kairi looked to see her cousin's Heartless, Kage, running to her. With her was her Nyaromon._

 _"Kage!" Kairi exclaimed. Then, several Dusks surround the three of them. Pluto growled at them while Kage stayed close to Kairi. Then, a whistle came from behind them and a dark corridor appeared. Pluto and Kage ran toward it, both of them urging Kairi toward them._

 _"We've got something in common, Kairi. You and I both miss two people we care about. Hey... I feel like we're friends already." Axel said. Kairi silently scoffed at that statement before running to the corridor._

 _"You're not acting very friendly!" Kairi exclaimed, angrily. The girls and their_ _Pokémon quickly disappeared from the island and found themselves in a strange place. The area was an eerie blue with the Nobody sigil going in all directions. "Kage, what is this place?" The whistling was heard again. This time, it came from a red, glowing portal. They ran to it, but Kairi stopped. She turned to see a someone wearing the same cloak as Axel. The portal closed and she found herself in a different world._

 _"You okay?" a voice asked. Kairi looked up to see Hayner, Pence and Olette._

 _"What...?" Kairi asked._

 _"You, that girl, those Digimon and dog came falling out of a hole in the wall. You nearly gave us all heart attacks!" Pence exclaimed._

* * *

My Pov

We had arrived in Agrabah. It looked both the same and different. Maybe, because Jafar was gone.

"Agrabah! We made it!" Donald said.

"Gawrsh. I wonder how Aladdin 'n' Jasmine are doin'?" Goofy asked.

"Hey, maybe Riku's with them!" Sora said. I cringed. Riku had asked that I don't tell Sora about our encounter. I felt guilty. I wanted to tell him, but I promised Riku.

"Yeah. Maybe. Mickey might be with them too." I said.

"Keep dreaming, you three." Donald said.

"C'mon, Donald, you were thinking the same thing." Sora said.

"No, I wasn't! Donald said." Yeah he was. It was only a couple seconds later before Goofy said something.

"Uh-oh! It's uh... um... It's Iago!" Goofy exclaimed. Me, Sora and Donald got ready to attack.

"Wait! You got me all wrong!" Iago cried.

"You're Iago all right!" Donald said.

"No! I mean, it's not the old me! I turned over a new feather! I'm legit! No more scams. Promise!" Iago exclaimed.

"Bet that's your new scam." Sora said.

"Ya gotta believe me!" Iago begged.

"Guys, let's go!" Donald said.

"I was stuck in that lamp with Jafar. Remember? Well, I finally escaped. But then some things happened and..." Iago muttered.

"So. Free as a bird, huh?" Sora asked.

"Have fun!" Donald said.

"Gawrsh, fellas. He looks pretty sad." Goofy said.

"Iago, come here for a second." He flew up to me and preached himself on my shoulder. I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. "I believe him. He's really being sincere, guys." I said

"I wanna apologize to Aladdin and Jasmine. Could you guys maybe put in a good word for me?" Iago asked.

"Sure, we can do that, can't we?" Goofy asked. Suddenly, Iago flew off my shoulder in a panic.

"Watch out!" Iago yelled. We looked to see several Heartless behind us. Even after getting rid of some of them, more of them would appear.

"Where are they all coming from?" Sora asked. I happen to look over and saw a Heartless heading toward Iago.

"Iago, look out!" I exclaimed. He tried to fly away, but bumped into a pot and a crate. Those two items hit several of the Heartless and allowed us to escape into a nearby house. "Now, we have to help Iago. He saved us back there."

"I guess we do owe him one." Sora said.

"Perfect!" Iago said.

"But we can only help you partway. Winning over Aladdin and Jasmine will all depend on you. You'll need to behave." I said.

"Yeah, yeah! I got it!" Iago agreed.

"Where IS Aladdin, anyway?" Goofy asked.

"My guess... the palace." I said. We headed that way and saw Jasmine standing outside the palace gates.

"Jasmine!" Sora said. She turned around and was overjoyed to see us.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" That's when she saw me. "Hikari, you're back!" Jasmine exclaimed. She hugged me and I hugged her back.

"I'm so happy to see again Jasmine!" I said. She looked down at Eve and must have figured out who she was.

"Hello Salamon." Jasmine said.

"Hello Jasmine." Salamon said.

"Your Majesty." Donald said. Sora, Veemon, Salamon, Donald and Goofy bowed while I curtsied.

"I never had a chance to thank you for before. You helped Aladdin defeat that awful Jafar and saved Agrabah." Jasmine said.

"All in a day's work. But uh... it looks like the Heartless are up to no good again." Sora said.

"Jasmine, is there anyway we can help you?" I asked.

"I think we're all right for now." Jasmine said.

"And ya always got Aladdin." Goofy said.

"He... hasn't been himself lately." Jasmine said.

"Is it the Heartless?" Donald asked.

"I'm not sure. Usually, he's the same cheerful Aladdin. But sometimes... he just seems sad." That didn't sound like Aladdin at all. "He leaves the palace and goes off by himself all the time. I've asked him about it, but he says nothing's wrong. He's gone again today. What if he doesn't come back this time?" Jasmine asked. I was about to suggest we go look for him when Iago picked the wrong time to show himself.

"Hey! Maybe he's got a secret girlfriend! I know! I'll go find out who she is!" Iago said. Persian hissed furiously and started swatting at Iago.

"Iago! Quick, Sora, catch him! Hikari, grab him! And I'll warn the guards and everyone in the palace!" Jasmine exclaimed.

"Jasmine, wait!" I yelled.

"That's the thing, Iago's not..." Jasmine didn't hear us as she had already ran into the palace. "Nice move." Sora said.

"Maybe it's something you said." Goofy said.

"We'll let Jasmine cool off for now. We need to find Aladdin to make sure he's alright." I said.

"Yeah. I wonder what he's been doing." Sora said. We made our way back into town when we heard commotion.

"Stop, thief!" a voice yelled. We just managed to see Abu run past us, carrying something. Then Aladdin followed close behind.

"Hi, Sora! Hi, Hikari!" Aladdin quickly said. Then, a peddler followed Aladdin.

"Come back here!" the peddler screamed. We hurried after them.


	32. Armor DigiEggs

My Pov

We managed to catch up to Aladdin just as he caught Abu.

"If you can't control that little fur ball... put him on a leash!" the peddler exclaimed.

"Look, I'm sorry..." He bent down to Abu. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Abu." Aladdin said. Abu reluctantly handed the item back to Aladdin. It was a black oil lamp. Aladdin gave the lamp back to the peddler who then went on his way. "Abu!" Abu took notice of us and ran to us. I knelt down enough to where he could climb onto my shoulder. "Hey guys, sorry about earlier. I was kinda in a hurry."

"That's okay." I said.

"What happened?" Sora asked.

"You know Abu. He couldn't keep his paws off that lamp." Abu jumped off my shoulder and started screeching and jumping around. "No talking your way out of this one!" Aladdin said. Everyone laughed, but I didn't. Abu was scared about something. I didn't think he'd steal a lamp for no reason. Animals were like that.

"Aladdin, Jasmine's worried about you. She said you've been sad and going into town a lot." I said.

"I guess there's no fooling her, huh? See, Genie and Carpet took off to see the world. It's what Genie wanted and I wish him the best, but..." Aladdin said.

"You miss him." Goofy said.

"Man, things must be REALLY quiet with Genie gone." Sora said.

"Aladdin, I know how it feels to miss someone so much that your heart hurts everyday." I said.

"Yeah. I mean, Genie was one of the only friends I had besides Abu. He helped me get out of my old life and helped me with Jasmine." Aladdin said. I happened to look behind me and saw Iago shaking.

"Iago, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Iago?!" Aladdin exclaimed.

"Oh, right... He wants to apologize for all the trouble he caused." Sora said.

"Oh, does he?" Aladdin asked.

"Gawrsh, he's so sorry, he's shakin'!" Goofy said.

"I don't think that's why Goofy..." I said.

"Th-th-that lamp!" Iago stammered.

"What about it?" Aladdin asked.

"It was THE lamp! The one I was trapped in!" Iago exclaimed.

"You mean the one that we trapped Jafar in?" I asked.

"Yes! There's NO WAY I'd mistake it for another lamp!" Iago screeched. That's when Veemon and Salamon began jumping and chatting furiously.

"That's right! I felt something off about that lamp!" Veemon said.

"There was evil coming from it." Salamon said.

"We better go talk to that peddler." Aladdin said.

"We're right behind you!" Sora said. We went back to the peddler's shop. When we asked how much he wanted for the lamp, he said he wanted treasure worthy of a sultan. How in the world were we suppose to get that? We couldn't just go to the palace and ask for some from the treasure room. The only other place we could find treasure was... the Cave of Wonders. That was the only place we would find treasure and not get arrested. Carpet gave us a lift to the desert. There we found the Guardian.

"This place still gives me the creeps." I said.

"Uh huh..." Salamon said, somewhat cowering behind my leg. We made our way through the cave when we came to a room with statues lining the walls. I the middle of the room, floated a large pink gem. Abu, not being able to keep myself from grabbing anything that wasn't nailed down, jumped up and grabbed the gem. Suddenly, the whole room shook. I then noticed the statues had anger on their faces. Shard of ice mysteriously formed in the air and fell. Several almost hit Abu. I picked up Abu and headed to the pedestal that was at the end of the room. Abu placed the gem into the slot on the pedestal and everything became calm. We soon came to a large treasure room.

"There. That should do it." Aladdin said. I saw a large trophy, decorated with jewels, with three large gems at the top. One red, one blue and one green. This had to be enough to buy that lamp.

"Oh boy. It's perfect. That guy's gonna like this." Donald said.

"Sure looks valuable." Sora said.

"Alright. Now lets go get that lamp!" Aladdin said. We gathered the treasure and began to leave, when the room became dark. Then, Heartless appeared from the darkness. After defeating them, we rushed back to the peddler's house to find him gone.

"Where is he? I thought he'd be waiting for us to come back." I said. That's when we heard commotion outside. It was the peddler and Pete!

"Stop your whining and hand it over!" Pete said.

"Oh no! I'm trading it for treasure. This lamp is going to bring me riches!" the peddler objected. We looked outside to see Pete chasing the peddler. We followed them to the palace gates. There they were playing keep away with the lamp. Pete managed to grab it, but Iago swooped in and grabbed the lamp.

"Alright Iago!" I said.

"Nice one, Iago!" Sora said.

"Way to go!" Aladdin said.

"Don't drop it!" Donald said.

"Look! Behind you!" Goofy said. Iago tricked the two into running into a wall. The peddler fell unconscious while Pete became angry. However, Iago didn't watch where he was going and ran into another wall, dropping the lamp. Pete picked up the lamp and laughed.

"Just wait till Jafar's free! He's going to make one beauty of a Heartless!" Pete said. Just as we were about to get the lamp, the ground began to shake. I happen to look up at the sky and saw something zipping through the air. I squinted my eyes and realized it was Genie!

"I'm HOME!" Genie circled the courtyard. "Al! It's been eons!" He was so happy to be back that he didn't realized he was hugging Pete instead of Aladdin. "Al, you little prince muffin, you! Cosmic travel can get so lonely without a friend. To think I left you forlorn and Genie-less... Oh, the HUMANITY! Hey, Al, you been puttin' on weight? Aw, of course, what am I saying? You're living at the palace now." Genie bellowed.

"Genie!" Aladdin said. That's when Genie realized he hadn't been hugging Aladdin. He dropped Pete and happily hugged his old master for real. Raichu swooped down and grabbed the lamp.

"I'll teach you to make a fool out of me! I'm finishin' you mugs off right now!" Pete exclaimed. Pete slammed his fist to the ground and two Heartless appeared. One of fire and one of ice. Mine and Sora's Digivices activated.

 _ **"Veemon digivolve to... Veedramon!"**_

 _ **"Salamon digivolve to... Gatomon!"**_

These Heartless were tough. They'd each take a turn attacking us and when enough damage was done to one of them, they'd break into smaller Heartless.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon exclaimed. She would knock many of the small Heartless into the air where Veedramon would deal with them.

"V-Nova Blast!" Veedramon exclaimed. Once the Volcanic Lord was reassembled, I pointed Starlight at it.

"Waterga!" I yelled. A powerful spout of water emanated from my Keyblade and struck the Heartless, destroying it. Both me and Sora jumped to evade the Blizzard Lord and pointed our Keyblades at it.

"Fira!" Sora and I shouted. Two medium-sized fireballs shoot from our Keyblades and hit the Heartless. It jerked around several times as a large heart emerged from its chest. Pete ran off. Our Digimon reverted to Rookie. We took Jafar's lamp and sealed it away in a stone slab inside the palace's deepest dungeon. That took care of that.

"Abu!" We noticed Abu was carrying something while Aladdin chased him. "Catch him!" All four of us dove for Abu and we just ended up piled on top of each other. That's when I took noticed to the large ruby on the ground. I managed to squirm free and picked up the ruby. "He must have secretly stolen it from the Cave of Wonders." Aladdin said. That's when the ruby began to glow. Sora and I unlocked the new path. "Oh, and I found these a while back. I think you guys should have them since they have your Crests of them." Aladdin held out several items.

"What are they?" Sora asked.

"Armor DigiEggs!" Veemon exclaimed.

"What?" I asked.

"They allow certain Digimon to Armor Digivolve." Salamon said. I looked and saw that the Eggs had the Crests of Friendship, Hope, Kindness and Light. I took the DigiEggs of Light and Hope while Sora held on to the DigiEggs of Friendship and Kindness. We then departed from Agrabah.


	33. Pride Lands

My Pov

I opened my eyes and realized that I was away from Sora and the others. I also felt really strange. I looked around and saw large rock formations and the skeletal remains of what looked like mammoths and elephants. Where was this place? That's when I noticed Salamon was gone. My ears perked up and I heard something a little ways away. I as I started running, I felt myself moving even faster than usual. As I came close to the place I heard the noise from, three hyenas ran passed me. I hurried to the area and saw Sora, Donald and Goofy. Except, they looked different.

. Sora was now a lion cub. His fur was predominantly an ashy shade of brown, though his toes, belly, and the fur around his mouth were very light grey. His mane was shaped like his normal hairstyle, and was the same light brown color. There was a tuft of light brown fur on the tip of his tail, and he has three whiskers on either side of his nose. His eyes were bright blue and his sclera were yellow. His silver crown necklace still hung from his neck.

. Donald was now a tropical bird. The only clothing he had was a blue hat on his head. His webbed feet were converted into common bird's talons, which allowed him to hold his staff. His plumage was predominantly white, but the tips of his wings and tail feathers were blue. He had three tail feathers that curl deeply at the tips.

. Goofy was now a tortoise. His skin was the same black color as his fur and his limbs were transformed into stocky legs, each with three toes and blunt, light grey nails. The underside of his shell was pale green, while the top side of his shell was yellow with white highlights. Goofy wore a light green hat on his head. I also noticed Leafeon and Raichu were gone too.

"Guys!" I called. They looked over at me and seemed shocked.

"Whoa..." Sora said.

"What?" I asked.

"Check yourself out!" Sora said. He motioned toward a puddle. I looked in the puddle to see I had become a lioness. My mane(which was ice blue with iris blue highlights)went close to the top of my front legs. My eyes were slightly lighter and my sclera were still white. My fur was white as snow. The tuft of hair on my tail was ice blue. My Wayfinder hung from my neck.

"Wow..." I said. After getting use to our new form change, we went looking around for any clue as to where we were. That's when we saw another lioness being attacked by Heartless.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Sora asked.

"Heartless!?" Donald asked.

"What do we do?" Goofy asked.

"What we always do; get rid of them!" I exclaimed. I dashed toward the Heartless and my Keyblade appeared with me having to hold it in my mouth by the handle. This was kind of hard. Having to adapt to a new form is one thing, but fighting in a new form is a completely different story. Plus, these Heartless were tough. However, we managed to get rid of them.

"Definitely Heartless." Sora said.

"Thank you. You really saved me." the lioness said.

"It was no problem. That's what we do. I'm Hikari. These are my friend Sora, Donald and Goofy." I said.

"My name is Nala." the lioness said.

"We're glad you're okay." Goofy said.

"Did you see any other Heartless around here?" Sora asked. Nala looked puzzled.

"Heartless? Is that what there called? I'm sure if there are any others... I don't usually hunt outside of the Pride Lands." Nala said.

"Pride Lands?" Donald asked.

"Hey, do you know if a guy named Riku is there? Or some bad guys in black hoods? Or maybe this really big bully named Pete?" Sora asked. She shook her head 'no'.

"Why are you hunting so far from the Pride Lands?" I asked.

"The Pride Lands are dangerous. Scar and the hyenas have made things unbearable for everyone. There's no food left. They've driven off the prey. We're about to starve." Nala said. We needed to help her and the pride. Something told me that this Scar's heart was clouded in darkness.

"We can handle a little danger. You just saw us beat those Heartless, didn't you?" Sora asked.

"I guess you're right... You could be just what the kingdom needs. Maybe you can help us." Nala said.

"Ya mean take on this Scar guy and all those hyenas?" Goofy asked.

"Scar?" Donald asked.

"He took over when our last king, Mufasa, died." Nala said.

"So, Scar is your king? You want us to overthrow your king?!" I asked. She nodded. The four of us gathered to discuss this.

"We can't just go around knocking kings off their thrones. Then again, if they see I'm stronger than their king, maybe they'll ask me to be their next king!" Sora said. If I could face-palm myself, I would.

"Sora, not that I'm saying you wouldn't make a great king, but if they did you'd never be able to leave here." I said.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Hikari's right." Donald said.

"Kings have to stay where their needed." Goofy said.

"I guess I wouldn't like never seeing the islands and everyone else ever again. But, I'd refuse anyway. Still, I'd like to see the Pride Lands, so you guys don't mind lending 'em a paw, do you?" Sora asked.

"Of course not. Besides, a princess is suppose to help others if she can." I said. Sora went back to talk to Nala.

"Uh-oh, there he goes again..." Donald said. Nala ran off in another direction once she and Sora were done talking.

"She's gonna go on ahead to tell the other lionesses. We're supposed to meet her at a place called Pride Rock." Sora said. After traveling across the dry and barren savannah, we came to Pride Rock. We walked up the path and saw several lionesses sleeping. With how the Pride Lands looked now, there wasn't much they could do besides that. We saw Nala coming toward us and she was accompanied by a baboon.

"That's him." Nala said. The baboon came up a little too close to Sora and stared at him.

"Uh... what?" Sora asked. He then looked at Goofy, then Donald and then me. The lionesses woke up and looked as if they were expecting good news. The baboon went back to Nala and whispered something. The lionesses went back to sleep.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I told Rafiki you might be able to help us force Scar and the hyenas out of the Pride Lands. But he says it won't work. You see, whoever saves the Pride Lands will be our next king...and he has to have the right qualities." Nala said.

"Meaning..." Sora said.

"I think she means you're not cut out for the job, Sora." Goofy said. I could see Sora was disappointed, but something in me said he would be a king of something. I just couldn't tell what.

"I'm sorry you had to come all this way. Nala said.

"Hey, no—it's okay." Sora said. Suddenly, she crouched down as if she was scared of something.

"You'd better go before Scar finds out you're here. I'm really sorry." Nala said. Just as we started to make our escape, about fifteen hyenas surrounded us.

"Hey—a snack." one hyena said.

"Snack? Nah, we got us a four-course meal." a second hyena said. Then a loud roar cut through the air. We all turned our attention to Pride Rock.

"Look at that, here comes Scar—the king." the first hyena said. Next to Scar was Pete!

"What is Pete doing here?" Scar nimbly jumped down from Pride Rock while Pete plain fell down. How Maleficent dealt with him I have no idea. "Why are you here, Pete!?" I demanded.

"Aww, the cute li'l kitty cat is worried about me. If I were you, I'd be more worried about my friends!" Pete said. I looked to see the hyenas closing in on my friends.

"Hikari!" Donald yelled.

"We're surrounded!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Go on ladies—you've got some hunting to do." Scar said.

"The herds have moved on, Scar. We can't hunt in a land with no prey." Nala said.

"No prey? Then what do you call this?" Scar asked. What did he just call us?

"We're not prey!" Sora snapped.

"Oh. Nice and fresh, too." Scar said.

"Well, they're all yours, Scar." Pete said. Pete ran off. Scar went to pounce on me and Sora, but Nala tackled him to the ground.

"Nala!" I exclaimed.

"Run!" Nala yelled. The four of us dodged the hyenas and ran away from Pride Rock. We just managed to escape without getting caught. Nala followed us and lead us to a valley she said Scar wouldn't follow us in to. Scar was going to destroy this entire world if we didn't do something to stop him.


	34. The True King

My Pov

"Nala, isn't there someone else who could be king? There has to be someone. A bug could rule the Pride Lands better than Scar!" I said.

"There was... but he died... when he was just a cub." Nala said. Oh. "He was the son of our last king, Mufasa. If only Simba were here." Simba!? She thought Simba was dead?

"Simba's not dead!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's just fine! He fought by our side not that long ago." Sora said.

"You mean Simba's alive!? But where is he?" Nala asked.

"We don't know that. Sorry." I said.

"Still... Simba's alive! I can't believe it..." Nala said. We decided to tell Nala all that we knew about Simba. Then, we traveled to Wildebeest Valley. Then we came to a large chasm. Sora was scared about how to get across. Nala jumped across it with no problem. I backed up, got a running, ran forward and jumped. I gracefully landed next to Nala. I looked back to Sora.

"Come on, Sora! You can do!" I said.

"No way!" Sora exclaimed. I thought for a minute and decided to use a line Riku always used.

"What's wrong Sora? Giving up already? I thought you were stronger than that." I said. That seemed to be the push he needed. He did exactly as Nala and I had and made it to the other side. Goofy and Donald followed after him. We started walking again. "Nala, why did you believe Simba was dead?"

"When Simba's father, King Mufasa, died, we were told that Simba died alongside him." Nala said.

"Who told you that?"Sora asked. She stopped walking.

"Scar." Nala answered. I was even more concerned about this world now than before. I heard a rattling noise behind us. We all looked to see Rafiki had followed us.

"It is time." Rafiki said. He pointed his stick forward as if to say we needed to go that way.

"It must be Simba!" Nala said. We hurried that way and across some cliffs. In the distance, I saw some kind of lush, tropical jungle. We hurried into the jungle and came to an oasis. There. we saw Simba was surrounded by Heartless. Simba let out a loud and frightening roar and the Heartless retreated.

"Simba!" Sora called. We ran over to Simba, but he didn't seem to recognize us. He got down, ready to pounce on us.

"It's us Simba. Sora, Hikari, Donald and Goofy!" I said. He got closer to us and must have realized it was us.

"Sora! Hikari! Donald! Goofy!" Simba exclaimed. He tackled me and Sora and nuzzled both of us, which kind of tickled. "What happened to you guys?" That's when a scream echoed from the jungle.

"Help! Simba! Heeelp!" a voice screamed.

"She's gonna eat us!" a second voice screamed.

"Timon? Pumbaa!? Something must have happened in the jungle! I have to go help my friends!" Simba exclaimed. Simba ran ahead of us. When we came to where they were, Simba and Nala were fighting each other.

"Simba, stop! That's Nala!" I yelled. Simba tackled Nala and they flipped several times before Nala pinned Simba.

"Nala?" Simba asked. She got off him and they looked at each other.

"Simba!" Nala exclaimed. That's when I saw a meerkat and warthog. The second they saw us, they ran toward Simba.

"Don't worry. They're all friends of mine." Simba said.

"So that means... nobody's planning on eating anybody else for lunch, right?" the Meerkat asked. The four of us nodded.

"Are you sure they don't wanna eat me like I'm some kinda pig!?" Warthog asked angrily.

"We won't... but you are a pig, aren't you?" Sora asked.

"Call me Mr. Pig!" the warthog snapped. We all laughed and, at Simba's request, left him and Nala alone. We later discovered the meerkat was Timon and the warthog was Pumbaa.

"Simba seems really carefree here." I said.

"Of course! He lives by our motto; Hakuna Matata." Timon said.

"What?" I asked.

"Hakuna Matata. It means 'no worries'." Pumbaa said. Timon and Pumbaa taught their motto. It was then we saw Nala, looking slightly upset.

"He's not the Simba I remember. Something about Hakuna Matata..." Nala said. Soon, night falls and we decide to get some sleep. However, I couldn't sleep. So many things were going through my head. I decided to get a drink. I went to the small lake and lapped some water. Before I went back I noticed Simba looking up at the sky.

"Simba?" I asked. He didn't turn around, but he said something.

"The rest of you can come out." Simba said. Everyone else came out from hiding. "I'm going back to face my past. I could use your help."

"He really is a king..." Timon said. The sun rose behind Simba and it seemed to signify Simba ready to take his place as the rightful king. We made our way back to the Pride Lands. Simba was shocked by the state his home was in. "Wait a minute. We're gonna fight your uncle for THIS?"

"Yes, Timon. This is my home." Simba said. We hurried to Pride Rock. The second Scar saw Simba, he became afraid.

"Simba! You're alive!" Scar gasped.

"This kingdom doesn't belong to you." Simba said.

"Simba's the rightful king." Nala said. Simba backed Scar into a corner.

"The choice is yours, Scar. Either step down or fight." Simba said.

"Must this all end in violence? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member, Simba..." Scar said. He weaseled pass Simba.

"I've put the past behind me." Simba said.

"But what about your faithful subjects? Have they?" Scar asked. What was Scar getting at?

"Simba, what is he talking about?" Nala asked.

"Go on. Tell them who's responsible for Mufasa's death!" Scar exclaimed.

"I am." Simba said. Nala was shocked, but I refused to believe that Simba had anything to do with his own father's death. Scar started backing Simba closer to the cliff.

"He admits it! Murderer! If it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive. Do you deny it?" Scar said.

"No! But it was an accident!" Simba cried.

"You're in trouble again. But this time, Daddy isn't here to save you. And know everyone knows why!" Scar exclaimed. With that final statement, Simba's foot slipped and he was now half-dangling off the cliff.

"Simba!" I cried. I wanted to run and help Simba, but for some reason, I couldn't move. That when Simba suddenly lunged forward and pounced on Scar.

"Murderer! Tell them the truth!" Simba yelled.

"All right. All right!" Scar said. What he said next was whispered so you couldn't hear.

"So they can hear you!" Simba exclaimed.

"I... killed... Mufasa!" Scar cried out. That monster! Three hyenas attacked Simba and allowed Scar to escape.

"Simba! You get Scar! We'll handle these guys!" Sora said. Simba ran after Scar and I ran to Sora. More hyenas began to surround us. That's when Timon and Pumbaa bulldozed through them. Then they found themselves surrounded by the hyenas. They ran in the same direction Scar and Simba had. The hyenas tailed and we followed the hyenas. We managed to keep Timon and Pumbaa safe and defeated the hyenas at the same time.

"Where's Simba?" I asked.

"He went up there." Nala said. We hurried to the up to find Simba and Scar.

"Simba!" Donald cried. Sora and I stopped him.

"He has to do this alone." I said.

"It's his fight, Donald." Sora said. Each of the made a harsh smack with their paw, but Scar knocked Simba down. The evil lion jumped, ready to finish Simba off, but Simba used his back legs to pushed Scar off the edge. "You're okay!" That's when Pete's annoying voice came from behind us.

"Aw, that was just a sneak preview!" Pete said. Pete came around the corner. "Cause this ain't over—not by a long shot!" Pete pointed behind us. That's when we saw Scar climbing back up to the top. How could he have survived that fall?! "Anger and jealousy turned the king of Pride Rock into a Heartless! Oh, your kingdom's gonna rise again...But this time, as the Pride Lands of Darkness!" The sky changed into a blue color with black haze circling around Pride Rock.

"That's what you think!" Simba said. Scar was able to use both dark, fire and thunder attacks and when using the darkness, he moved at almost lightning speed. I decided to try and use my light to counter his darkness. I focused and became cloaked in light. My speed matched Scar's now. I tackled him, dispelling the darkness the cloaked him and the light that cloaked me.

"Sora! Simba! Now!" I yelled. The two of them delivered the final blow that took down Scar for good. After everything settled, Simba climbed to the cliff part of Pride Rock and roared. The lionesses joined in, signaling that the true king had taken his place. Just then, the clouds swirled and revealed an apparition of Simba's father, Mufasa. The sky lit up and me and Sora's Keyblades began to glow. We left the Pride Lands soon after unlocking the Keyhole.


	35. Where Are Kairi and Kage?

My Pov

After leaving the Pride Lands, I noticed that Twilight Town had reappeared. Salamon and Veemon had reappeared too.

"Sora, look! Twilight Town is back!" I said. He took immediate notice to it.

"Let's head there!" Sora said. We landed in Twilight Town. I felt a huge rush of nostalgia wash over me as we landed in Tram Common. Then, I saw the boy, Vivi, running franticly and calling for help.

"H-Help! The sandlot! It's Seifer! Somebody please help us!" Vivi yelled.

"Sounds like we've got trouble!" Sora said. We hurried to the sandlot. I saw that Seifer and his two friends, Rai and Fuu, were laying unconscious on the ground. I noticed the Struggle bat next to Seifer. Poor guy probably tried to fight them off, but that bat wouldn't have any effect on them. Sora and me stood in front of them.

"Stay down!" I said.

"We'll take it from here!" Sora said/ Dealing with the Dusks was easy. That's when several Berserk Nobodies appeared. They were much more difficult to beat(in my opinion, the Berserk Nobody is the toughest of the lower Nobodies). I had to go into my Wisdom Form just to dodge attacks. I jumped into the air and pointed Starlight at the Nobodies.

"Prism Rain!" I shouted. Salvos of colors rained down on to the Nobodies, eradicating all of them. I reverted from Wisdom Form.

"Impressive." a voice said. That's when I heard someone clapping as if applauding. I looked to see a member of the Organization. Salamon and Veemon hissed and growled. "By the way, have you seen a man named Axel? I expect he's here somewhere."

"Like we care." Sora said.

"You see, Axel is no longer acting in our best interest." the unknown said.

"Is he with the Organization, too?" Goofy asked.

"Yes." the unknown said.

"You havin' a fight?" Donald asked.

"Your not a very organized Organization, are you?" I asked. The man pointed to me and Sora.

"Don't let your guards down. Axel will stop at nothing to turn the two of you into Heartless." the unknown said.

"Gee, thanks for looking out for us, mister. But I'm sure we can take care of ourselves just fine." Sora said.

"Glad to hear it. Axel aside, it would break our hearts to hear something happened to the both of you." the unknown said.

"What hearts? You're just empty shells." I said.

"True, we don't have hearts. But we remember what it was like. That's what makes us special." the unknown said. He removed his hood, revealing his face. Wait... he looked like-

"Isa?" I asked. I felt Sora, Donald and Goofy look at me weird.

"Do ya know him, Hikari?" Goofy asked. I wasn't sure how to answer. First Demyx reminded me of Myde and now this guy reminded me of Isa.

"I am no longer Isa. I am known only as Saïx." That's when I saw it. His eyes were yellow-gold, like Xehanort's! A portal appeared behind him. "Also, if I were you, I'd be on the lookout for the other rogue members of the Organization." the unknown said.

"Rogue members?" Donald asked.

"Yes. Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Marluxia and Larxene. They are also members who have betrayed us and will be annihilated when they are found. Sora, your Highness, both of you just worry about fighting the Heartless." Saïx answered.

"Let's jump in after him!" Sora whispered.

"How come?" Donald asked.

"That portal might lead us to the Nobody's world." I said.

"Don't be reckless. Do you want to end up like Riku?" Saïx asked. That question made my heart drop into my stomach.

"What?" Sora asked. Saïx walked into the portal and vanished.

"Wait!" I shouted. Had something happened to Riku since I last saw him?

"Hey, how 'bout you get out of my town now? You've caused enough trouble." Seifer said.

"Riku..." Sora mumbled. Raichu climbed on to Sora's shoulder while Veemon tugged on Sora's pant leg. Salamon nudged my leg with her head.

"Have it your way! C'mon, guys!" Donald said.

"Hold it!" Seifer said.

"Make up your mind!" Donald huffed. Seifer held up a trophy with five crystal balls. "This goes to the strongest guy in Twilight Town." He was talking to Sora.

"Thanks, but... we don't really need it." Sora said. Seifer didn't take no for an answer and shoved the trophy to Goofy. He and his group left. I heard footsteps behind us and looked to see Pence.

"Oh! Sora! Hikari!" Pence called.

"Pence! Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Do you guys know two girls named Kage and Kairi?" Pence asked. Just like that, my heart leapt back into my chest.

"K... Kage and Kairi!? We sure do!" Sora exclaimed.

"Then you guys better come to the station." Pence said. We hurried to the station where Hayner and Olette were waiting.

"Hi. So how do the three of you know Kage and Kairi?" I asked. The three of them shared a sad look and then began to tell us.

"Kairi and Kage were really here!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Yeah. And... they said they were looking for you two." Hayner said.

"Tell us where they are! I begged.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _Hayner recounted how the girls suddenly appeared in Twilight Town and how they were wanting to find Sora and Hikari._

 _"What a romantic story!" Olette said._

 _"If you stick around, Sora and Hikari are bound to show up." Pence said._

 _"Yeah, they said they'd come back." Hayner said._

 _"Okay!" Kairi said._

 _"I hope so." Kage said. Just then a voice came from nowhere._

 _"What took you and Kage so long, Kairi?" a familiar voice asked. A dark corridor opened on one side of the room to reveal Axel and his Magmar. "Somehow, I just knew you girls would be here. I tell ya, Kairi, you and Kage have a lot of guts jumping right into the darkness like that." Axel started toward the two girls. Both Hayner and Pence tried to stop him, but both were brushed off by the Nobody. A BlackAgumon appeared and attacked Labramon, reducing her to her In-Training Form. It then grabbed her and Kage's Nyaromon_. _Axel harshly grabbed the young Heartless and princess's wrist and pulled them into the corridor._

 _"Let go of me! Let go!" Kairi demanded._

 _"Get your hands off us!" Kage said. Kage helplessly pounded on the man's hand, trying to break loose but to no avail. Pluto followed them and the corridor vanished._

* * *

My Pov

Sora pulled out the Wayfinder Kairi had made a year ago and sadly looked at it.

"Kairi..." Sora sadly said. He put the charm back into his pocket.

"Do ya think it mighta have been Axel?" Goofy asked.

"Sorry..." Hayner said. They were upset that they couldn't stop him.

"It's not your fault! You did what you could." I said that, but I couldn't help but feel sad. If only we had gotten here sooner.

"We've gotta help them!" Sora sudden outburst caused Goofy to drop the trophy, which caused the five crystals to fall off. Hayner picked up the red one, Olette picked up the yellow one and Pence picked up the green one.

"That was close!" Pence said. The blue one and white one hadn't gone too far. Sora picked up the blue crystal and I picked up the white crystal. Goofy took out the blue crystal from the pouch and Donald took out the white crystal. We held them out toward the sun and the others did the same.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _For a brief moment, Sora became Roxas and Hikari became Nikko. The two teens were in a daze, but soon snapped out of it at the sound of Donald's voice. The two snapped their attention to their friends. A strong wind blew around them as the two crystals began to glow. They floated into the air, circling each other. Sora and Hikari stood back to back and pointed their Keyblades to the ground. A string of light shot from the orbs and reveal the Keyhole. Together, the key bearer and princess unlocked the Keyhole. The group left Twilight Town, following the new road that had been opened._


	36. Stitch

My Pov

We headed back to Hallow Bastion. Everything seemed to be fine, until four or five Heartless ran into view and then disappeared.

"Do you think..." Sora said.

"Looks like there are more Heartless now." Goofy said. Then five Dusks slithered into view before going off somewhere else.

"We better make sure everyone's alright." I said. We headed to Merlin's house when we saw someone leaning against a wall. It was Cloud! Next to him was Dracomon.

"Oh, Cloud!" Sora exclaimed.

"Whatcha doing?" Donald asked.

"I'll get him." Huh? Get who? "This time we settle it. Me, and the one who embodies all the darkness in me." Cloud said.

"I thought you looked kinda different, Cloud." Donald said.

"If I do, it's his fault." Cloud said.

"Whose?" I asked.

"Sephiroth. Tell me if you see him." Cloud said.

"Okay. What's he look like?" Sora asked.

"Silver hair. Carries a long sword." Cloud said.

"All right. See you around Cloud." I said.

"Be careful. He messes with your head, makes you think darkness is the only way." Cloud said. I was about to ask what he meant when Aerith and Lalamon showed up.

"Is something wrong?" Aerith asked. Cloud started walking away and Aerith walked up to him.

"It's nothing." Aerith wasn't buying it. "I don't want you involved." Cloud said.

"You mean you don't want me there when you go away again?" Aerith asked.

"I just— Listen, even if I go far away, I'll come back." Cloud said.

"Do you mean it?" Aerith asked.

"Yeah." Cloud said. He had an unsure look.

"See? You don't look so sure. Well, okay. I understand. Go—get things settled." Cloud seemed confused by what Aerith said. "No matter how far away you are... once you find your light... I'm sure it will lead you back here, right?"

"I suppose." Cloud said.

"So I'll stay here—and I'll cheer for you—Okay, Cloud?" Aerith asked. He nodded and went off.

"I hope he'll be okay." I said.

"He will. He has light in him somewhere." Sora said.

"You're right." Aerith said. We hurried to Merlin's house to see Cid typing away on his computer. He told us that Leon had some good news and we needed to go to his place. They had found the computer Ansem had been using! Leon was at the castle postern so we headed that way. We got to the bailey when we heard a voice.

"Excuse me, are you with the Restoration Committee?" a voice asked. We looked around, seeing no one at first, but then three small girls floated into view. "What's Leon's gang up to?"

"They're doing some stuff over by the castle postern." Sora said.

"Scoop!" the second girl said.

"Let's report." the third girl said.

"To who?" Donald asked.

"Our leader, of course!" the first girl said.

"Yeah, you know, Malefi-" the second girl said. The third girl quickly covered her mouth before she could finish her sentence. These girls were really suspicious.

"Don't mind her. I assure you, we come in peace." the third girl said.

"You're kidding..." the first girl said.

"Problem? Okay, fine. You do the talking." the third girl said. She disappeared in a red flash.

"So sorry about this." the first girl said. She disappeared in a blue flash and the other one disappeared in a yellow flash. That as weird. We made our way to the castle and I felt a strange feeling of familiarity. Had I been to this part of Hallow Bastion? I thought for a minute and realized I had! It was when I little and lived here! I would always come here to see... Who did I come here to see all the time? I couldn't remember! My childhood memories before ending up on the islands were still a little hazing.

"I've been to this place before..." I said. That's when a memory flashed through my mind. _I was running up to the postern and toward the castle with Salamon right next to me. Running next to me was a boy who was probably twice my age with steel-blue hair. Floating next to him was a Candlemon. His back was to me so I couldn't see his face. Who was that? That's when the younger me called out to him. "Ienzo, come on!" The boy turned and I saw his bangs obscured half his face and only one of his eyes was visible._

"Hikari!" I snapped out of my daze and looked at Sora. "Are you alright?" Sora asked. I just nodded and ran down to the entrance with the others calling me back. I ran through the halls until I came to a door. I opened the door and entered a study. The whole room was trash. Cobwebs were formed on the selves, books lay scattered on the ground and large tubes were shattered with shards of glass spread out on the floor. That's when I noticed the portrait of someone. I looked closer and felt my blood begin to boil.

"Xehanort..." I said, gritting my teeth. I clenched my fist. I hated that man with ever single fiber of my being. I would never forgive him for what he did to me, my friends and my family. I heard Salamon lightly growling.

"Hikari, why'd ya run off like that?" Goofy asked. I noticed Sora and the others followed me.

"Uh... I don't really know?" I said.

"Ansem..." Sora said, looking at the portrait.

"Gawrsh, I guess this must be his room." Goofy said.

"Where's Mickey?" I asked.

"Aerith said that the King was with Leon." Donald said. I didn't see Leon or the King.

"Hey, you!" a voice said. We snapped our attention to see a woman standing in the doorway. "I'm looking for somebody. Have any of you seen a guy with spiky hair?" Me, Donald and Goofy instantly look at Sora, who pulled on one of the spikes of his hair. "Spikier " We all shook our heads 'no'. "I'll just take a look around." She looked around the room and actually kicked one of the walls. "Sorry to bother you."

"No problem, ma'am." we all said. She left the room to go look for whoever she was looking for.

"So you made it." We turned around to see Leon. When did he get in here? I noticed Mickey wasn't with him.

"Where's Mickey? I thought he was with you." I said.

"You'll see him soon enough. This should tied you over." Leon said. He place his hand on a certain spot of the wall, which revealed a secret room. It was Ansem's computer room. We went inside and Sora ran to the computer.

"Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?" Sora asked, frantically. Then he started banging on the keyboard.

"Sora!" I exclaimed.

"Hey! Do you want to break it?" Leon asked.

"Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away." Sora said.

"Whoa!" Goofy exclaimed. I looked at Goofy who was looking up. I happened to look up in time to see something drop from the ceiling and land on the keyboard. Wait, that was...

"Stitch!" I exclaimed.

"Stitch!" Salamon exclaimed. He looked at us and sniffed in my direction. That's when his face lit up.

"Hikari! Salamon!" Stitch exclaimed.

"Get offa there!" Donald yelled. Donald lunged at him, but Stitch jumped out of the way and onto me. He climbed up until he was under my neck. Donald had landed on the keyboard and was unintentionally typing as he moved his feet. Some find of error alarm went off. That's when some creepy, cyber voice started talking.

 _"Attention current user. This is a warning. Further misuse of this terminal will result in immediate defensive action."_ a computerized voice warned.

"Who's there?" Sora asked.

 _"I am the Master Control Program. I oversee the system."_ the voice answered.

"Where are you?" I asked. Donald then stepped on another key, triggering another error alarm.

"Donald!" the three of us exclaimed.

"I'm sorry..." Donald said.

 _"Decision gate reached. You are now under arrest."_ the MCP said.

"Arrest!?" Sora exclaimed. What did this program mean? I didn't know until I heard Leon yell for us to run. That's when the weird machine behind us started glowing. Sora pushed me out of the way before two beams hit him, Veemon, Donald and Goofy. They became frozen and it was as if a graph was placed on them.

"Sora! Veemon! Donald! Goofy!" I cried. The beams then quickly erased the squares and they disappeared into the machine.


	37. Clip and Old Friends

My Pov

I sat there, still frozen by what had just happened to my friends.

"What just happened? Where are they?" I asked.

"I don't know..." He went to the computer and started typing, trying to figure out how to get them back. "Hikari, why don't you go see Yami? I let you know the second I get something." Leon said. I complied without objection. Stitch looked up at me.

"Stitch sorry." Stitch said. He knew I was sad. I just smiled at him.

"It's okay Stitch. You didn't know what would happen." I picked him up and hugged him. "It's so good to see you again." I put Stitch down and he pulled out something. It was the Wayfinder Gantu had broken. "Your Wayfinder! You fixed it." Then he held out something for me. It was a white pod with the number '177' on it. "Is this another experiment? Like you?" I asked.

"Not experiment! Cousin." Stitch corrected. So Stitch thought of the other experiments as his cousins. Why did he hand me this though? He scampered off somewhere and I followed him. Soon, we came to a fountain. He pointed to the pod and then to the fountain.

"Is that how they're activated? Do you want to see one of your cousins?" I asked. He nodded his head. I closed both my hands around the pod. If I remembered correctly, Dr. Jumbaa had created his experiments to be evil. I would use my light so that this experiment would be somewhat tamed and I could tame it completely later. My hands glowed for a quick second and then I threw the pod into the fountain. As soon as it made contact with the water, a large yellow bubble emerged from the fountain. From the bubble emerged a creature with yellow fur, big blue eyes, a pink bow on its head and three long nails on each of its hands. This experiment was smaller than Stitch. It looked around and then at me.

"Cousin!" Stitch exclaimed. The experiment kept its eyes glued to me. I heard it make some kind of purring noise. That's when I realized it wasn't looking at me, it was looking at my hair. Judging by its nails, my guess was that its function was to cut hair. I gripped my hair. It had grown to be was ridiculously long. It would get me in trouble if I didn't do something about it. I let my hand travel down until it reached my back.

"Experiment 177, if you want you can cut the hair that's below my hand." It nodded and used it nails to cut my hair. What it did next was kind of weird. The experiment ate my hair. I decided, like before, to name the experiment. "Since your function is to cut hair, I'll call you... Clip." I said. Clip seemed to like her new name and jumped into my arms. She was so soft.

"So Yami wasn't lying." a voice said. I snapped my attention to see five members of Organization XIII standing only a few feet away.

"You are awake." the second said.

"So much for that weirdo's facts." the third said.

"DiZ clearly made a mistake somewhere with his diagnosis." the fourth said.

"What matters is she awake." the fifth said.

"Who are all of you?" I asked.

"Forgive us, Princess Hikari." the fifth said. How did he know my name? They each removed their hoods, revealing their faces.

 **.** One had platinum blond hair, worn long with two slightly shorter(but still long) bangs that frame his face. He also had rather large, bright green eyes.

 **.** Another had very angular and strong features, with a square chin, straight nose, and sharp cheekbones. He had blue eyes and small eyebrows. His hair was auburn and slicked back into rather odd, messy spikes.

 **.** Another was the only girl among them, whose blonde hair was slicked back and about jaw-length, with two long strands styled into a distinctive antennae-like appearance. Her eyes were a vivid green and she is very slim with an hourglass figure that sets her apart from the others.

 **.** Another was tall and elegant and his hair was shoulder-length and rose pink with ruffles. His eyes were almost the same blue color as Sora's. He had some feminine features about him.

 **.** The last one had steel-blue hair sported messy bangs that completely covered the right side of his face, reaching about an inch or two past his chin. On his left side, his bangs, though still rather long, were shorter than the right side, partially covering his ear. A few strands of hair fall over the exposed section of his face. The one eye that was visible was aqua blue. I took one look at them and knew who they were.

"Even... Aeleus... Relena... Lauriam... Ienzo..." I muttered. I saw a look of surprise then sadness flash across their faces. "What's wrong?"

"We're not... them anymore..." Relena said. What?

"We're their Nobodies." Lauriam explained. Their... Nobodies? But that means that they lost their hearts...

"Oh..." That's when I remembered the names Saïx had mentioned. "Are you're new names Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Marluxia and Larxene?" I asked. They each nodded. That's when I panicked. "You shouldn't be here! If the Organization finds you, they'll destroy you!"

"You needn't worry. We've gone a year without detection." Vexen assured me.

"Still..." I said.

"We'll be fine." Lexaeus said.

"We came to warn you and everyone else." Marluxia said.

"Why?" I asked.

"There is a dangerous amount of Heartless harboring in the Great Maw. We believe they may attack Hollow Bastion very soon." Zexion said.

"How many are we talking about?!" I asked.

"If I had to guess... maybe a thousand." Larxene said. A thousand!?

"I need to go tell Yami and warn to be careful." I ran past them and hurried to my grandma's house. But I half-turned around and looked at them one more time. "I'm glad I got to see you guys again." I said. I resumed running to my grandma's house, with Salamon, Clip and Stitch running next to me.

* * *

Zexion's Pov

I was relieved to see my childhood friend was awake and part of the world again. At least, I think she's my friend. My memories as Ienzo are hazy and only flash through my head.

"Hikari's right though. We shouldn't stick around here too long." Larxene pointed out.

"We should at least lend assistance to her and her friends should that swarm of Heartless attack the town." Marluxia said.

"All the while; keep an eye out." Lexaeus said.

"Agreed." Vexen said. As we started to leave, a voice called out from behind me.

"So here you all are." We became froze all of us in our tracks.


	38. Accessing the DTD

My Pov

I came to the house and nearly broke the door down pounding on it.

"Yami! Grandma! Open the door!" I yelled. I heard a whimper from the inside as Yami opened the door.

"You woke up your son." Yami said. I rushed past her. Tai was fussing and reaching for someone to hold onto.

"Sorry." I walked right over to my little baby and picked him up. "I'm so sorry sweetie." I said. I kissed his forehead. He giggled and tugged on my bangs.

"Hikari, what happened to your hair?" Yami asked. I pointed to Clip who was near her feet. Both her and Stitch came into the house.

"I asked Clip to cut my hair." I said.

"Why?" Yami asked.

"It was getting to be too long and it would've gotten me in trouble." I said. Stitch looked at Tai with fascination. "This is my son Stitch." Tai felt around Stitch's face with his hands, fascinated with how soft his fur was.

"What did you come here to tell me? It had to be pretty urgent if you almost busted down the door." Yami said.

"I ran into Zexion and the others." I said. She seemed both surprised and relieved.

"What did they say?" Yami asked.

"They told me that they saw about a thousand Heartless in the Great Maw." I said. This caused all the color to drain from her face. Renamon became nervous and looked at Yami.

"Yami, if this is true, everyone is in danger." Renamon said.

"Are you sure?" Yami asked. I nodded feverishly. "You need to tell Leon and the others. Wait, where's Sora? It's very rare I see you far from him." I explained what happened and she became worried. "Maybe they're back..." I decided to take Tai with me since I had barely been with him, not that it could be helped. Yami and Renamon decided to follow. We walked back to the postern and I surprised to not see any Heartless attacking us. Thank goodness, though. We'd be somewhat vulnerable. We made my way back into the study to see Sora.

"Sora!" I tackled him into a hug, but was careful not to hurt Tai. "You're back!" I said, overjoyed. Salamon nuzzled Leafeon and RaichuVeemon. Tai giggled and reached out to grab Sora. Sora grasped Tai's tiny hand. "What happened?"

"Well, we got zapped into Ansem's computer, but Tron helped us escape." Sora said, explaining who Tron was and what he needed from them was to find the password to the DTD, which made me worry.

"So, I finally get to formally meet you Sora." Yami said.

"You're... Yami, Hikari's sister." Sora said. She nodded.

"You must be Yami's partner." Veemon said to Renamon, to which she nodded.

"Yes. I am Renamon." Renamon said. I noticed that the portrait of Xehanort had been taken down and the there was some writing. I walked over to it and cocked my head.

"What's all this writing?" I asked.

"Hollow... Main... Security... Tron... Door to..." Donald read out.

"Looks like some kind of diagram of somethin'." Goofy said.

"Door...to...darkness?" Donald asked, sounding out the words.

"Oh! D— T— D!" Sora said.

"DTD!" we all said.

"What's up?" Leon asked.

"I think we may have found the dataspace. The DTD is short for the Door To Darkness." I said.

"What do you know... But... that still leaves the password." Leon said.

"Say, fellas, did somebody mention the Door To Darkness?" a voice asked. That voice! I knew it anywhere. We all turned to see Mickey standing in the doorway.

"Mickey!" me and Yami exclaimed.

"Your Majesty!" the others exclaimed. He put a finger to his lips, signaling us to keep it down. He looked down the hallway and then pushed the door to the study closed. As he removed his hood, Donald tackled him into a hug. Goofy then picked both of them up into a group hug.

"Long time no see!" I said.

"Shh! The Organization might be listening." Mickey said. I covered my mouth. Goofy put him and Donald down and Mickey gently pushed Donald off him. He looked around and then back at Sora. "You mentioned the Door To Darkness?"

"Yes. Apparently, the DTD needs a special password to be accessed." Yami said.

"Password? Oh, I guess you mean like a code. Well, the Door To Darkness can only be opened by the seven princesses. There's Snow White, Jasmine and Belle..." Mickey explained. Their names! Their names are the password.

"Now we can access Ansem's research data." Sora said.

"So that means you can find out where he is!" Mickey said. Huh? That's when I realized he meant Ansem the Wise.

"Stop jokin' around, Your Majesty. We already defeated Ansem. You know that." Sora said. Poor Sora. He doesn't realize it was a fake they beat.

"Looks like I've got a lot of explainin' to do." Mickey said.

"We're listening, Your Majesty!" Donald said.

"Okay... but first, I've got a question..." Sora said.

"Hey, isn't Tron waiting for you guys?" Leon said. We shot a look at Mickey.

"Don't worry. I'm not goin' anywhere. If those Heartless attack I'll stand and fight with everybody here." Mickey said. I handed Tai to Yami.

"I'm going with you guys. I want to help Tron." I said. We walked into the computer room and Sora pressed a button. Like before, a bright light came from the transporter and zapped us into Tron's world. I looked around and noticed how different we all looked. Salamon looked all digital.

"I wonder where Tron is..." Goofy said. I noticed Goofy was looking at a terminal.

"Don't touch that!" Donald yelled. Suddenly, the four of us were transported somewhere else. We came to some kind of grid.

"I didn't touch nothin'!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Welcome to the game grid." a voice said.

"Game grid?" Sora asked.

"That's right, you've be chosen to play a few games. Lose, and you'll be subjected to immediate de-resolution. Win? Well, no one wins." the voice said.

"We're not gonna play your games!" Donald exclaimed.

"You have no choice." the voice said.

"Fine! Get on with it!" I said. Both me and Sora had to get on some kind of motorcycle and go through some kind maze while fighting off Heartless. It seemed hopeless when a larger Heartless shot a beam and broke a hole in the wall. Donald and Goofy through while me and Sora sped to it and escaped. We came back to the room we had been in before. That's when I saw someone laying on the ground.

"Tron!" Sora exclaimed. Tron slowly stood up, but staggered.

"I don't understand. Why are you here?" Tron asked.

"We came to give you the password!" Sora said.

"Why didn't you just transmit the data?" Tron asked.

"Transmit?" I asked. Tron started falling forward, but me and Sora caught him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked.

"I'll be all right... once we access the DTD." We hurried to the terminal to access the DTD. "All right, what's the password?" Tron asked.

"Well... Belle, Snow White..." Donald said.

"Aurora, Alice..." Goofy said.

"Jasmine, Cinderella..." I said. Then we looked at Sora for the last name, which was Kairi's.

"Kairi." Sora said. Tron entered the seven names and accessed the DTD. He placed his hand on a panel and he looked better.

"I'm as good as new! All my functions have been restored!" Tron said. That's when some kind of alarm went off. A beam suddenly shot from above and nearly hit us. That's when a voice, a creepier one than the one before, began talking. It was the MCP.

 _"Finally. I have full access to the DTD. My takeover of the system is now complete. I might have anticipated such a simple password. What's this? An emergency destruct program for the town. Let's see how it performs."_ What? No! Tron slammed his hand back on the panel and typed something. _"Program! You changed the password!"_

"That should buy us some time." Tron said.

"Tron, tell us what's going on!" Sora said.

"The MCP's loading a hostile program into the I/O tower." Tron explained.

"What do we do?" Donald asked.

"We've got to protect the User town." User town? He must mean Hollow Bastion. "Let's head to the tower!" Tron said.


	39. Angel and Storm

My Pov

Tron lead us to the tower. That's when the hostile program the MCP created appeared.

 _"I'm disappointed in you, Program. Why do you insist on allying with these selfish Users?"_ the MCP asked.

"Because I want to help them. Something written into my code commands me to do what is right." Tron said.

 _"Really? And what command would that be?"_ the MCP asked. Tron shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't really say for sure." Tron said.

"Friends—They help each other, that's all." I said.

"Uh-oh—look out!" Sora yelled. The program shot beams from the spikes on its body to create solid walls around us. We were limited on space now. This program was tough. It would shoot these rays that would follow each of us and try to hit us. Each time one of us hit the program, it would drop clusters. After gathering enough, we could freeze the program. That's the DigiEggs glowed and so did our Digivices.

 ** _"Veemon armor digivolve to... Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"_**

 ** _"Salamon armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_**

Veemon and Salamon... they had Armor Digivolved.

"Beam of Isis!" Nefertimon exclaimed. She shot beams of light from her headdress.

"Lightning Blade!" Raidramon exclaimed. He fired a blade of lightning from the lightning-bearing horn on his attacks destroyed the the program. Both Raidramon and Nefertimon reverted all the way back to DemiVeemon and Nyaromon.

"Wow! I guess the Armor Evolution really wore on you two." Sora said, picking up DemiVeemon.

"We'll get better." DemiVeemon said.

"It was just a lot at once." Nyaromon said.

"It's fine. It was the first time you guys Armor Digivolved." I said.

"I really owe you one. With all my functions up and running, I think I've got a chance of getting system control away from the MCP. Now I'd better get to work. It's what my User would want." Tron said.

"What Ansem would want..." Sora looked at Donald and Goofy who nodded. "Listen, Tron. We didn't get the password from Ansem. We sort of found it, back in the User world. By accident. And one more thing... Ansem—he was our enemy. I mean.. he still is... I guess." Sora said.

"Well, actually... he's my enemy, too." Tron said. That was surprising.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Ansem took ENCOM's original system and customized it for his own use. I was part of the original system, and Ansem modified me. So that makes him my User." We nodded. "But Ansem is also the one who brought back the MCP. The Ansem I first knew wouldn't do that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Tron said. I wanted to tell Tron that Sora was talking about an imposter, but I needed Mickey's help to explain.

"It's okay, but... now I REALLY don't get it." Sora said.

"I don't... understand it either. But I think Users, like you, are going to be the ones who will finally figure it out. You have the ability to take illogical routes and still arrive to the answers you seek. No go—before the MCP starts up again! Any data you need from the DTD can be accessed directly through my User's terminal. I'll keep a dedicated access channel open for you. I changed the password, so you won't have to worry about the MCP for a while." Tron said.

"Access channel?" Sora asked.

"I knew you'd ask." Tron pressed a button on the terminal. "It's an important link between our words. It's how we stay connected." We started to teleport back to our world. "You... my friends... are the new password." Tron said. I felt touched that Tron had made us the new password.

"Thank you, Tron. Be careful!" I said.

"You too! And give my best to the Users!" Tron said. We got back to the computer room.

"Look." Leon said. On the screen was 'Thank you' in bold letters with little digital version of us.

"Tron... hang in there." Sora said.

"It's asking for a password." Leon said.

"That's easy. It's..." Goofy said.

"Sora!" Sora said.

"Hikari!" I said.

"Donald!" Donald said.

"Goofy!" Goofy said.

"That's... to the point." Leon accessed the computer. "I have to go into town. Feel free to use the computer." Leon said. Leon left the room and Sora went to the computer.

"Maybe we have to type something." Goofy said.

"Riku and Kairi!" Sora types their names. The computer flashes 'DATA ERROR'. "No way... Even Ansem's computer doesn't know." Sora said in despair. Goofy typed in Organization XIII and Nobodies but the result was the same. "Stupid computer!" Sora started pounding on the keys.

"Sora, stop! You're gonna break it!" I yelled. That's when a picture of a man appeared on the screen. Ansem the Wise.

"Who's this guy?" Sora asked.

"Did you find anything?" Mickey asked. Mickey walked into the room.

"Not really, but the computer pulled up a picture of some guy." Sora said. Mickey took a look at the picture and jumped.

"Ansem the Wise!" I was the only one not confused.

"Come on! Are you teasing us again?" Sora asked.

"Did you forget what Ansem looked like, Your Majesty?" Donald asked.

"Of course I do! And this is him, I'm positive." Mickey said.

"Excuse me... could you come this way please?" Sora asked. Sora grabbed Mickey by the hand and dragged him back to the study. We all looked at the portrait. "See? This is Ansem. You know, the guy we all worked REALLY hard to defeat."

"Sora, about that..." I began, but Mickey explained for me.

"I never did finish explaining. Well, the man in the picture is definitely the one who tried to take over Kingdom Hearts-the one you fellas defeated. But, what you actually fought was his Heartless. Ya see, he wasn't really Ansem. He just went around telling everybody that he was." Mickey said.

"WHAT?!" the three shouted.

"It's true." I said.

"We went through all that work to defeat an impostor?" Sora asked.

"Yep. A fake, but he still needed to be stopped." Mickey said.

"And I believe his Nobody is the leader of Organization XIII." I said. The longer I looked at the portrait, the angrier I got. I placed my hand on the painting and black fire sprouted from my hand. The entire painting dissolved into ashes. That's when the whole castle started shaking.

"Looks like we need to start helping out here!" Mickey exclaimed. He ran out of the study and we followed him soon after. What was going on?

* * *

Zexion's Pov

We had managed to escape Saïx, but just barely. We watched as the swarm of Heartless began invading the bailey, just as we feared.

"What's the next move?" Larxene asked.

"With this large number, the security gate won't keep them out for long." Lexaeus said.

"And then the town itself will be invaded." Marluxia said.

"The logical choice would be to help, but we'd be exposing ourselves." Vexen said.

"We need to lend our assistance. Hikari and her friends will need every ounce of help they can get." I said. With that, we began destroying any Heartless that crossed our path, lending our help to fight this war.


	40. 1000 Heartless War

My Pov

We came to an area and saw a bunch of Heartless and Nobodies fighting each other. I noticed Maleficent just as she vanished.

"Heartless! Leave the white ones. Turn your attention to the princess and her friends!" Maleficent demanded.

"Uh-oh!" Goofy exclaimed. Not only did the Heartless come after us, but the Nobodies did too. It took a while, but we managed to defeat them. I saw the three girls from before floating toward us. I asked Yami about and she told me their names were Yuna, Rikku and Paine.

"Where's Maleficent?" Yuna asked.

"Look like she ran away." Sora said.

"Well, that was PRET-ty lame of her." Rikku said.

"I guess we picked the wrong side." Paine said. The three girls started whispering to each other.

"If you're looking to take sides, Leon and the others could use help." I said.

"Does this Leon have any treasure?" Yuna asked. Why were they wanting to know that?

"Yeah, lots of stuff!" Donald said. They seemed really happy to know that.

"Perfect!" Rikku said.

"Come on." Paine said.

"Who ARE you?" Sora asked.

"Oh, we're nothing worth mentioning." Yuna said.

"Just three treasure fanatics." Paine said.

"Later, taters!" Rikku said. With that, they disappeared.

"Did Leon... really have any treasure?" Sora asked. I heard Donald chuckle as he ran toward the exit with us following him. We come outside to see several Dusks.

"Move it!" I shouted. Each us of destroys one and we make our way to the postern. Then, we were blinded by a bright light. That's when we saw a man with distinctive long, silver hair with long bangs that frame his face and dressed in a black leather coat. The coat had a large collar that reaches his ears even when folded back and was kept closed by a black belt with a silver buckle around his waist. His coat had red-violet lining in the front. The sleeves of his coat ended in metal rings in place of normal cuffs, and he wore black leather gloves. For some reason there was an odd, black and red, fin-like growth on his right forearm. His face looked strikingly like Cloud's. His chest was exposed, showing that he wore some sort of grey strap around his abdomen with two black belts over it and he wore a silver pauldron over each shoulder, as well as two brown, overall-esque straps that intersected over his chest. He wore black pants and knee-high boots of the same color, with two grey belts wrapped around each boot. He also had a large, navy blue wing on his right shoulder with two more wings of the same color sprouting from either of his hips. I heard DemiVeemon and Nyaromon growling slightly.

"Guys, it's Sephiroth!" Donald exclaimed.

"Ain't Sephiroth the one who's suppose to be the dark part of Cloud's heart?" Goofy asked.

"Did Cloud tell you that? Then he must understand now." Sephiroth said.

"Just what are you gonna do to him?" Sora asked.

"Nothing. Cloud is the one who hungers for Darkness." Sephiroth said.

"Cloud said you two have a score to settle." I said.

"I see... He wants to meet me." Sephiroth turned around and started walking away. "Then I should give him what he wants. That last bit of light is always the hardest to snuff out." Sephiroth said. He rose in the air and disappeared into a black orb. We hurried toward the bailey and saw Leon and Aerith fending off several Heartless. I saw Liollmon and Lalamon fighting with them.

"We'll help!" Sora said. Aerith turned and a look of fear flashed across her face.

"Sora, Hikari! Behind you!" Aerith cried. We turned and saw several Dancer Nobodies along with several Heartless. It was hard dealing with both the Heartless and Nobodies at the same time.

"The king's in the bailey. You better head over there!" Leon said. He and Aerith went off toward the bailey and we followed after them. When we got to the bailey, I looked out toward the Great Maw.

"Whoa..." I softly exclaimed.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _As the princess looked out toward the Great Maw, she saw both an amazing and frightening sight. She saw all of her companions and their Digi_ _mon fighting of the Heartless, swarm after swarm, only to have another swarm take its place. Renamon had digivolved to Kyubimon, Liollmon had digivolve to Liamon, Lalamon had digivolved to Sunflowmon, Wormmon had digivolved to Stingmon and Dracomon had digivolved to Coredramon._ _She noticed that the Nobodies of her friends were also out there fighting. All of the people she cared for were out there fighting. Yami, Yuffie, Aerith, Leon, Cloud, Stitch, Clip, Zexion, Vexen, Lexaeus, Larxene and Marluxia. She feared for their safety._

* * *

My Pov

I ran toward the entrance in the bailey that the Heartless had created when one jumped at me from above. Before I could summon my Keyblade, someone else killed it. I looked to see it was Zack and Growlmon.

"Zack! How did you get here?" I asked.

"I don't even know myself. All I know is this portal opened up with a voice telling me you were in trouble. I go through it and find myself here." Zack said. A voice? Could it have been my mom? I remember how when I was little she had used some of her power to protect me. "I'm gonna go help everyone out!" Zack said. He rushed past me and ran toward the battle field.

"Be careful!" I called. He looked back at me real quick and gave me a reassuring smile. Just as me and the others were about to head into battle, Mickey somersaulted from above and held out his arms with his back to us.

"Okay, fellas, you've gotta go find Riku, Kairi and Kage!" Mickey said.

"But Leon and the others are friends too!" Sora objected.

"Don't worry. There's already lotsa help here. We'll take care of this fight." Mickey said.

"But... I promised Leon!" Sora said.

"Donald! Goofy! Take Sora and Hikari and get goin'!" Mickey said.

"Riku, Kairi, Kage... please give us some more time. We'll find you guys, I promise." I said. That's when I heard Donald and Goofy's voices behind us.

"Your Majesty!" Donald said.

"We understand. We'll go look for Riku, Kairi and Kage!" Goofy said. Me and Sora snapped our attention to our friends.

"Right. Watch out for danger!" Mickey said.

"You be careful, too!" Donald said.

"Hold on a minute!" I exclaimed.

"Wait, you guys!" Sora exclaimed.

"Sora, Hikari, do as you're told!" Donald said.

"You're both comin' with us whether ya want to or not!" Goofy said.

"C'mon, guys! You gotta be good!" Donald said. That's when Donald winked at us. I realized both he and Goofy were on our side.

"Right." I said.

"Gotcha." Sora said.

"Well then, skedaddle!" Goofy said.

"Thank you." Sora and I said.

"Let's go!" Donald said. We ran right past Mickey who was shocked. We looked up at him.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty!" Sora said.

"Please forgive us!" DemiVeemon said.

"You said it yourself; we have to help our friends when we can Mickey!" I said.

"We're truly sorry!" Nyaromon said.

"Hope you can forgive us!" Goofy said. We hurried to help everyone, unaware that Mickey sadly smiled at our sudden action realizing it was the right one. Our Digivices activated.

 _ **"DemiVeemon digivolve to... Veemon!"**_

 _ **"Nyaromon digivolve to... Salamon!"**_


	41. The Organization's Plan

My Pov

We made it to an area when Myde- I mean, Demyx appeared. He seemed a little surprised to run into us.

"Hey, you guys are looking lively." Demyx said.

"Scram!" Donald yelled.

"Didn't we catch you messing around in the Underworld? How'd a wimp like you get into Organization XIII?" He jumped a little, offended by what Sora said. "I bet you can't even fight." Sora taunted.

"Yeah, but we can!" Donald said. He waved his finger at us.

"You shouldn't judge anyone by appearance." We got into position to fight. That scared him. He turned around and muttered to himself. "I told them they were sending the wrong guy..." Demyx said.

"Who is this kook?" Sora asked.

"Remember, the Organization's made up of Nobodies." Goofy said.

"Right—no hearts!" Sora said. With the lower Nobodies, there was no question they didn't have hearts. But with Zexion and the others... I could definitely feel something. Demyx turned back around.

"Oh, we do too have hearts! Don't be mad..." Demyx said.

"You can't trick us!" Donald said. He faced away from us for a quick second, turned back and pointed at me and Sora.

"Silence, traitors." Demyx said. Traitors? Streams of water floated upward, creating a bubble above him, which turned into his sitar. He summoned water clones like before, except this time we were actually fighting him. I was amazed by how strong Demyx was considering he was Myde's Nobody. The whole year I knew Myde, he was always laid back, goofy and never liked confrontation. His Nobody was like him personality-wise, but his ability to fight was not like Myde at all. Demyx would shoot bubbles of water from his sitar, cause powerful spouts to emerge from the ground and then have water bubbles rain down on us. Using Thunder and Blizzard seemed the obvious spells to use. As Demyx began shooting bubbles at us, I pointed Starlight toward him.

"Thundara!" I shouted. The electric attacks connected with the bubbles and traveled back to Demyx, shocking him.

"Not bad, Nikko!" Again with that. Who was Nikko? "Time to punish the traitors! Dance, water! Dance!" Demyx cried. A large wave of water began to form. I shot a quick look at Sora and he nodded.

"Maybe you forgot one thing." Sora said. We pointed our Keyblades as the wave was ready to crash down. "Water freezes." We both shot Blizzara at the wave, freezing it. The ice began to crack and large icicles fell on Demyx.

"NO WAY!" Demyx shouted. Once the ice and Demyx's sitar had vanished, he began fading away. "Roxas... Nikko... I don't want to fade away." I walked over and knelt down next to him.

"Myde... you'll be okay. I know that it may not seem like it, but you'll be okay." I said. He smiled a little.

"I'll take your word for it. You never lied to me before." Demyx said. With that, he vanished. While I was sad, Sora was angry.

"Anyone from the Organization who'd like to be next?" Sora shouted. Leafeon growled loudly and Raichu had electricity flying from his body. I snapped my attention to Sora.

"Sora, shush!" I said.

"Don't antagonize them!" Donald exclaimed.

"Yeah, we gotta help our friends first." Goofy said. Sora realizes his outburst was unnecessary.

"Oh. Sorry." Sora held out his hand and help me up.

"Then let's go!" Donald said.

"Aha! There you are!" Mickey exclaimed. We looked to see Mickey who was angry. We walked to us and crossed his arms with a stern look in his eye. Like when a parent scolds their child for doing something bad. I gripped my right arm with my left hand. We were nervous since Mickey was so angry with us. That's when his stern expression dropped. "You sure have lotsa friends to help." He wasn't angry. Whew. "So, I guess we better all pull together and finish this battle for good!" We all stood straight.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" we all said. Mickey nodded and started walking toward the path that would lead us to where everyone else was. I followed him when I heard something behind us. An explosion.

"Look out!" Goofy yelled. Before I could look behind me, Goofy pushed both me and Mickey forward. I managed to just in time to see Goofy getting hit in the head with a large rock that would've hit me and Mickey. He saved us. Just like in Atlantica, Goofy saved my life. As the rock made contact with Goofy's head, the force made him slide back until he rammed head first into a rock wall. My eyes widen as tears started to form.

"Goofy!" Sora cried. He and Donald ran to him.

"No..." Mickey said. Donald tried to shake Goofy awake.

"Hey! You're the King's Captain! You gotta get up!" Donald said.

"C'mon, wake up!" Sora begged.

"I'm sorry about the ice cream!" Donald said.

"Goofy...?" Mickey asked.

"Is... is he...?" I asked

"Goofy..." Donald cried.

"This is not happening... It can't be happening... It can't..." Sora said. Mickey clenched his fist.

"They'll pay for this." Mickey said. He threw off his cloak and summoned his Keyblade. He ran down the path and Donald soon followed him. Sora ran past me and threw me a concerned look. The tears fell like rain from my eyes as something in me snapped. Dark aura surrounded me as Starlight became Devil's Darkness. I rushed after everyone with Salamon, but went a different way.

 _ **"Salamon dark digivolve to... BlackGatomon!"**_

I noticed a clearing and as reached it, a barrier blocked the exit and Heartless appeared.

"I don't have time for you!" I yelled.

"Hikari!" I looked to see Vexen. "I'll help!" Vexen said. I simply nodded and proceeded to destroy the Heartless. Soon, the Heartless were gone and the barrier dropped. "Carry on!" He disappeared. I hurried forward only to be stopped again. Several Heartless attacked me from behind, but were stopped by Larxene.

"Don't let your guard down!" Larxene said. Using a combination of her Thundaga spell and my Shadow Thundara spell, we destroyed all the Heartless in one blow. "Keeping going!" I continued forward and stopped again. This time, Marluxia came to our aid.

"Hikari, I'll help you!" Marluxia said. We combined my Dark Aerora with his Blossom Shower together to form Dark Shower/Blossom Aerora. The Heartless were destroyed. My anger fueled my darkness which made me stronger. "Keep pushing forward!" Again, I was stopped at a certain point. Lexaeus was the one to help us.

"Don't let yourself get cornered!" Lexaeus said. Lexaeus's strength and power was need with these Heartless since they were larger and were covered with a shell-like armor. I hardly needed to waste energy since Lexaeus took care of most them. "Don't give up!" I came to the last area before reaching the a cavern that led to the Great Maw and found Zexion.

"I'll lend my assistance!" Zexion said. We combined his Cyclone Snatch and my Fira together to create Fira Cyclone. It sucked up all the Heartless and destroyed them. "Your friends are just up ahead." I nodded to him. The dark aura around me faded and Devil's Darkness became Starlight again. I ran into the cave to see Sora, Donald and Mickey. I was so exhausted. Using my darkness like that drained me. I would've fallen if Sora didn't catch me. He used his Cura magic, which made me feel better. BlackGatomon reverted back to Salamon and she collapsed into Veemon's arms.

"Are you okay?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah, but..." I said.

"Ohh, Goofy..." Donald said. I just couldn't believe he was gone.

"Hey, fellas!" a voice called. That voice! We all turned to see Goofy, smiling and waving at us!

"Goofy!" we all exclaimed. He ran over to us and rubbed his head.

"Ya know, that really hurt!" Goofy said. I couldn't help myself. Both Mickey and I tackled Goofy in a hug.

"Aw, Goofy!" Mickey said.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Goofy!" I cried.

"Gawrsh, Yer Majesty. You and Hikari didn't need to worry. I get bumped on the head all the time." Goofy said. I heard Sora laugh. Both me and Mickey let go of Goofy when Donald walked up to him with a look on his face. He twirled his staff and hit Goofy in the knee. Goofy grabbed his knee, jumping up and down from the sudden action of his friend. "That hurt, too."

"Don't you ever do that again!" Donald cried. Mickey smiled at his two friends. Both me and Sora looked toward the castle. That place was only a reminder of... bad memories. We hurried toward the Great Maw castle. Up ahead was a large swarm of Heartless, but something was weird. It wasn't until we were right there that I realized it.

"What's with them?" Sora asked. The Heartless were frozen in place. It was as if time had stopped.

"Hey!" Goofy exclaimed. He pointed to the top of a rock formation. We looked and saw a member of Organization XIII appear. With one hand, he removed his hood revealing silver hair and dark skin.

"It's the guy who's NOT Ansem!" Donald said.

"You mean its his Nobody!" Goofy said.

"The leader of Organization XIII..." Sora said. He may have been far away, but I knew who it was.

"Xehanort!" I exclaimed. From what I could tell, he smirked.

"That's right! Ansem's apprentice! The leader of Organization XIII is Xehanort's Nobody!" Mickey exclaimed. Mickey summoned his Keyblade and went after Xehanort. We went to follow, but were surrounded by a thousand Heartless.

"Move it!" Sora yelled.

"We can't let Xehanort get away!" Donald said.

"Yeah!" I agreed. Both of looked back at Donald and Goofy, who gave us a thumbs up before running off to fight the Heartless.

"You ready?" Sora asked.

"I was born ready." I said. Our Digivices and DigiEggs activated.

 _ **"Veemon armor digivolve to... Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"**_

 _ **"Salamon armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"**_

We both charged forward with Heartless swarming toward us.


	42. Two Steps Forward One Step Back

My Pov

Both me and Sora would use our magic to destroy the Heartless. Nefertimon and Raidramon were also attacking the Heartless with their own attacks. There seemed to be no end. That's when I felt some kind of wind blow pass me. Then, I actually felt some kind of embrace from the wind. It felt so familiar and warm.

 _"You can do. You and Sora need to combine your power."_ a voice said. I felt tears well up in my eyes. That voice... it was Ven's. My hand instantly went to my Wayfinder that hung from my neck. He was with me.

"Sora! Use your Cyclone spell!" I said. He didn't argue. He summoned a large cyclone and what I did next was more than unexpected. I jumped into the cyclone and focused my light to Starlight. "Lightbloom!" The Cyclone became a whirl of light as the Heartless were sucked into its wind. I jumped out of the vortex and landed next to Sora. We used our Keyblades to make sure all the Heartless were caught. When they all were, we slammed our Keyblades down which caused the cyclone of light to vanish. All the Heartless fell to the ground, releasing an explosion of hearts. Nefertimon and Raidramon both reverted back to Salamon and Veemon this time. We hurried through a small canyon and were joined by Donald and Goofy.

"Where's the King?" Sora asked. We looked around. Donald was the first to spot him.

"There he is!" Donald exclaimed. We saw him just as her destroyed a Heartless.

"Let's go!" I said. We found Mickey staring at Xehanort's Nobody. "Mickey!" Mickey turned to us real quick before looking back at the Nobody.

"Xehanort!" Mickey said.

"How long has it been since I abandoned that name..." Xehanort said. Did he not go by Xehanort now?

"Out with it Nobody! Where's Kairi? Where's Kage? Where's Riku?" Sora asked.

"I know nothing of any Kairi or Kage. As for Riku...Perhaps you should ask your king." the Nobody said. Both me and Sora looked at Mickey.

"Stop!" Mickey yelled. Just as he summoned a portal and disappeared, Mickey jumped into the portal and disappeared with him.

"He's gone..." Sora said. Sora fell to the ground, pounding the ground with his fist. Goofy placed a hand on his shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and he gripped one of my arms. Veemon and Salamon both looked at us with sad looks.

"Sora, Hikari, Goofy." Donald 's when we saw the large canyon ring around the castle was empty and all was still.

"What's goin' on?" Goofy asked.

"Way to fall right into their trap." a voice said. Who? We turned around to see a man leaning up against a rock wall. He wore the Organization cloak. Next to him was a BlackAgumon. He stepped closer to us and I saw he had red, spikey hair, green eyes and two teardrop shaped marks under his eyes. "C'mon, it's a set-up by Organization XIII. Xemnas is using you two to destroy the Heartless- that's his master plan."

"Xemnas?" Donald asked.

"The guy you just saw. He's their leader. X-E-M,N-A-S. Got it memorized?" the man asked. Wait, that catchphrase. The only person who ever said that was...

"Lea?" I asked. He looked shocked by what I said. Then he shook his head.

"Sorry. I'm not Lea anymore. The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" the Nobody said. It wasn't Lea. It was his Nobody. Wait, Axel?

"You...you're the who took Kairi and Kage!" Sora exclaimed.

"Yeah, but right now you should be more concerned about how they're using the two of you." He pointed to our Keyblades. "Every Heartless slain with those Keyblades releases a captive heart. That's what the Organization's after." Axel explained.

"Lea... or Axel, where are they? Where did you take them?" I asked. He scratched his head, as if he wasn't sure he should say.

"Please. Just tell us!" Sora begged. Axel placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head back.

"Look, about Kairi and Kage... I'm sorry." Axel said. What was he sorry about? Taking them?

"Axel!" a voice exclaimed. He flinched as Saïx appeared in front of us.

"Uh-oh!" Axel said. He vanished. Sora ran to go after him but Saïx stopped him.

"We'll ensure he and the other traitors receive the maximum punishment." Saïx said. I gulped. He meant Zexion and the others.

"I don't care about any of that! Just let us into realm of darkness, okay!?" Sora begged. What was Sora saying?!

"If it's Kairi and Kage you're worried about, don't. We're taking very good care of them." Saïx asked.

"Take me and Hikari to them." Sora said.

"Are they really that important to you?" Saïx asked.

"I want Hikari and Kage to formally meet each other! And I know Hikari wants to see her and Kairi too!" Sora said. I couldn't deny that was true.

"Show me how important." Saïx said. Show him? That's when Sora did the most unexpected thing. He got on his knees and bowed before an enemy.

"Please." Sora said.

"Sora! What are you doing!?" I exclaimed.

"So, you really do care for them. In that case-the answer is no." Saïx said. Sora immediately shot up in anger.

"You rotten...!" Sora exclaimed.

"You really are heartless!" I said.

"Monster!" Veemon hissed.

"Demon!" Salamon hissed.

"Are you both angry? Do you hate me? Then take that rage, and direct it at the Heartless." Saïx said. He snapped his fingers and several Heartless appeared around us. Saïx stared up at the sky. "Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. And yet they don't know the true power they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free... until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts." Kingdom Hearts? That's what they were after? "When that time comes, we can truly, finally exist." Saïx said.

"What in the world do you think prattling on about?" I looked behind me and saw Maleficent. "Kingdom Hearts belongs to me! The heart of all kingdoms, the heart of all that lives. A domain fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be MY domain!" Maleficent declared.

"Kingdom Hearts belongs to neither of you and never will!" I vowed.

"We shall see, your highness." Maleficent sneered.

"Maleficent, no! No more Heartless!" Sora pleaded.

"I do not take orders from you!" Maleficent snapped. Several Soldier Heartless appeared.

"Fool..." Saïx said. He snapped his fingers and several Dusks appeared and destroyed the Heartless. The Dusks looked at us.

"Oh no!" Sora exclaimed. Sora grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. Veemon stood in front of Salamon. Maleficent appeared in front of us and summoned a wall of fire to separate us from the Dusks.

"While I keep these creatures at bay, you devise a way to vanquish them- forever!" Maleficent said.

"Maleficent!" I cried. The Dusks wrapped themselves around her.

"Do not misunderstand me. I shall have my revenge on you yet." Maleficent said. More of them jumped on her. "Leave! Now!"

"We don't take orders from you!" Sora said. Sora ran to help her, but Donald stopped him.

"Sora! C'mon!" Donald exclaimed.

"But... what about..." Sora said. The firewall died and Maleficent was gone.

"Now then. Where did we leave off?" Saïx asked. He snapped his fingers again. The Dusks disappeared and the Heartless reappeared. They surrounded us.

"Which side are you on?" I asked.

"The Heartless ally with whoever's the strongest." Saïx said. The Heartless rushed toward us. Both me and Sora destroyed two of them and released the hearts. Saïx marveled at them as they floated away. "Yes, Sora! Extract more hearts!" He vanished a the hearts disappeared in a black mist.

"No! The hearts!" Sora cried. Heartless started to attack us relentlessly. "Maybe everything we've done... Maybe it was all for nothing."

"Don't think like that!" I exclaimed.

"What happens if we can't use our Keyblades, Hikari!?" Sora asked. That's when Maleficent's voice came from out of nowhere.

"Imbeciles! You can't be trusted to do anything!" Maleficent exclaimed. That's when a pool of darkness opened underneath us and we sank into the ground.


	43. Find Your Path

My Pov

I opened my eyes but only saw black. I was relieved to see Sora, Donald and Goofy were here with me. Salamon and Veemon stayed close to us.

"What's this place?" Goofy asked.

"I think we might be in the realm of darkness." I said. The second I said that, Sora began calling out in the darkness.

"Kairi! Riku! Kage!" Sora called. There wasn't anyone else here but us. That's when I heard Donald exclaim.

"Who's there!?" Donald demanded. I looked and saw a member of the Organization standing there. It looked like he was holding a white box. Donald ran toward him, but he disappeared, leaving behind the box. "What is this?" Donald picked up the box and opened it.

"Are ya sure you wanna open...that?" Goofy asked. I looked inside. All there was inside was an ice cream bar and a photo. The photo was of Hayner, Pence Olette and two other teens I didn't recognize. The other girl had her arms wrapped around the other boy's torso while he had an arm wrapped around her. Donald handed the photo to Sora. "Gawrsh, it's the gang from Twilight Town. There's Hayner, Pence, Olette... and, uh...um..." Goofy said. For some reason, a name popped in my head. The same with Sora.

"Roxas." Sora said.

"Nikko." I said.

"You know them?" Donald asked.

"No. The name just popped into my head. That's Nikko." I said.

"Same with me. The name just popped up. These two are Roxas and Nikko." Sora said. Donald looked at the ice cream bar and went to take a bite.

"Are ya sure you wanna eat...that?" Goofy asked. Donald took a bite and shuddered.

"Salty... No... sweet!" Donald exclaimed. That's when the ice cream bar began glowing. Sora and I opened a new path and found ourselves in the Lanes Between. I was on my glider, with Salamon, and the others were in the gummi ship.

"I guess help comes from unexpected places." Sora said.

"Yeah, it does." I said.

"A photo and some ice cream? Hmm. Wonder if they're some sorta clue? And who woulda left 'em for us, anyway?" Goofy asked, wondering.

"Riku?" Sora suggested.

"Ya think?" Goofy asked.

"Just this feeling I got." Sora said.

"Look! We're almost there!" Donald said.

"We'll find Kairi, Riku and Kage soon." I said.

"Hey, what if the Heartless are back? Hikari and I can't use our Keyblades—that would only help the Organization." Sora said.

"Sora, I don't want to be of any help to those husks, but we have no choice. If we don't use our Keyblades, we can't stop the Heartless from hurting people." I said.

"I guess you're right. Oh! Hikari, I meant to say something before, what happened to you're hair?" Sora asked.

"I had someone cut it." I said.

"Why'd ya do that?" Goofy asked.

"It was too long and it would have let enemies grab me more easily." I said.

"That's smart." Donald said.

"It's gonna be weird not seeing you with your iris highlights anymore." Sora said. I thought about how I looked now too. I wonder if they'd ever grow back? They had the one time some kid in school decided to be funny and cut some of my hair off. Although, I still had the highlights.

"I think I look better without them." I said. We headed off to one of the worlds we had been to previously.

* * *

Yami's Pov

Well, the Heartless problem was taken care of. I just hope Hikari and the others were alright. I looked at Tai, who was fast asleep in his cradle. Clip was in the cradle with him, curled up at his feet. Stitch was beneath the cradle, acting as a guard dog. Renamon had returned to Viximon, who was curled around the cradle, but she was always on alert. That's when I heard footsteps, followed by a knock on the door. Believing it was grandma, I opened it. Only after opening it too much did I realize it was Xigbar.

"Why, hello there Yami." Xigbar said. I tried to slam the door shut, but he forced it opened and grabbed me.

"Let go!" I screamed. My scream woke up Stitch and Clip who started growling. Viximon started hissing. They jumped at him, ready to bite and scratch, but he shot some kind of bubble at them and trapped them. The commotion woke Tai up and he started crying.

"So, it is true. The Princess of Kingdom Hearts did have a kid." Xigbar said. My fear became anger when I heard that.

"You leave him alone!" I yelled. He laughed.

"Don't worry. I've been order not to hurt either of you. Not that I would. Can't hurt the bait." Xigbar said. Bait? He pushed me toward Tai. I picked him up and calmed him down. That's when I heard a click sound. I half-turned and saw him pointing one of his Arrowguns at me. He opened a portal, threw Stitch, Clip and Viximon through it and then gestured for me to go in. I realized it now. The Organization was going to use me and Tai as bait for Hikari and, possibly, Riku.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Boss's orders. Saïx also figured your cousin and sister's Heartless aren't enough to lure the princess and Keyblade master to us." Xigbar said. They had Kairi and Kage?! He pointed his Arrowgun at me again. I had no choice but to go through the portal. When I got to the other side, I found myself in a cell.

"Yami?" a voice asked. I turned and saw Kairi and Kage. Xiaomon and Kage's Nyaromon were next to them.

"Kairi! Kage!" I exclaimed. They ran to me and hugged me. I was so relieved to see they were safe. "How in the world did you end up here?"

"Axel brought us here." Kairi said. I knew that pyromaniac was bad news. I looked over them real quick and didn't see any injuries.

"They haven't hurt you, have they?" I asked. They shook their heads. That was good. Tai suddenly started fussing again.

"You brought Hikari and Riku's baby!?"

"I didn't had choice. They're using him as bait too." I said.

"Riku and Hikari had a baby?" Kairi asked. I gulped. Should I tell her?

"Uhhh..." Kage droned.

"I'll tell you, just hear everything before reacting, okay?" I asked. She nodded.


	44. Unlock Your True Power

My Pov

We went back to Land of Dragons and arrived in the ruined village. I wonder what was wrong?

"I wonder how everybody's doin'?" Goofy asked.

"Look!" Donald said. We looked in the direction he pointed and saw a member of Organization XIII. Whoever it was saw us and took off further into the mountains. I noticed a Kudamon peeking behind a rock before it disappeared.

"Wait!" Sora shouted. We went to run after him, but Mulan's voice.

"Sora! Hikari!" We saw Mulan running up to us and kneeling over, out of breath.

"Mulan!" I said.

"Mulan, hey. No time to talk. We gotta catch that guy!" Sora said. Mulan regained her composure.

"I'm following him, too!" Mulan said.

"Then let's go!" Donald said. We followed the man back to the clearing in the mountains where we had taken on the army Shan-Yu had controlled. We didn't see the guy anywhere.

"Looks like he got away." Mulan said.

"How come you're after somebody from Organization XIII?" Goofy asked.

"What is that?" Mulan asked.

"The guy in black." Sora said.

"One of the bad guys!" Donald said.

"I knew it!" Mulan said.

"You must think something's up if you're chasing one of them." I said.

"There's a rumor in the Imperial City about a spy in black, lurking in the mountains. I've been up here tracking him, but when you arrived, I lost him." Mulan said. If we showed up a little later, we won't have scared him off.

"Sorry!" Goofy said.

"Don't apologize. But I do wonder where he went." Mulan said. We looked around but didn't see anyone. That's when we look up and saw Heartless lining the top of the hill.

"Again?" Donald asked. The Heartless swarmed toward us.

"Okay, first things first!" Sora said. The others ran forward, but I didn't. I felt a familiar presence behind me. I turned and saw the same hooded man. It looked like he was shaking his head. The Kudamon I had seen before were next to him.

"Hey! Quit sneaking around!" I yelled.

"Who are you?!" Salamon asked. He summoned his weapon and lunged toward me with so much speed, I couldn't bring myself to dodge. That's when I realized he attacked a Heartless that almost attacked me. I jumped back and put distance between me and the man. I had to focus on beating the Heartless more than him. That's when I noticed his weapon, battling pose and style. Riku! That's when something in my pocket started glowing. I took out the tiara my mom had left for me. I had almost forgot about it.

 _'Place it on your head.'_ a voice said. What? ' _Place it on your head and new power and abilities will become yours. Trust me, Hikari.'_ That was my mom's voice!

"Okay, Mom. I trust you." I said. I placed the tiara on my head and a bubble forms around me and Eve. When the bubble vanishes, I see my clothes have drastically changed. I now wore a split top that was pink with fuchsia lining on the right, and red with gold lining on the left. A red and white flower can be seen on the left side, while going around the bottom was a gold lined section with blue in the center, underneath a row of various green, indigo, and gold beads. On the right frontal corner was a pink bow with gold designs. Attached to the right shoulder was a single ruffled sleeve of peach, while on the left was one of pale green and pale orange-gold. At the center of the chest is a small piece of dark blue material. It came with a single red sleeve with white ruffles and gold lining for the right arm, a simple necklace, the Kingdom Hearts emblem tattoo for the left arm, and a dark blue cuff lined with white ruffles and a gold bow for the left wrist. A two piece skirt that consisted of a simple, plain blue skirt underneath pink folded material lined with gold. On this pink material were fancy floral designs of white and red flowers, and colorful birds, along with the romance story emblem. The band was a cloth of pale green, red, and yellow. On my feet were crystal-blue sandals with orange straps over the foot, each with a single little bow. Worn with toed-socks that had gold pieces adorned with purple gems on each ankle. They came with indigo, lilac, and white gradient stockings with a small amount of glitter applied. On the side was a red design with gold lining, and further down was the icon for Kingdom Hearts. The stockings were held up with gold straps. My tiara became a hairpiece composed of two big flowers, one purple, and the other white with a pale yellow center. It came with gold pearl earrings with tiny purple hearts and a single chibi-wing attached to each one. (Look at Aikatsu; Peony Pattern Heavenly Coord). I raised my Keyblade up to the spiral of Heartless that formed around me. "Flower Blizzard!" A cyclone of pink flower petals formed around us. It sucked up all the Heartless and destroyed them. I looked back to Riku. "Riku..." The second I said his name he and Kudamon took off. "Wait!" He was gone before I could chase after him.

"Hikari!" I looked to see everyone coming toward me. "Whoa! What happened to your clothes?" Sora asked.

"Wow..." Veemon said.

"I'll explain that later." I said.

"Where's the guy at?" Sora asked.

"I... lost him." I said.

"You weren't hurt were you?" Mulan asked. I shook my head.

"Where'd he go?" Donald asked.

"He ran off that way." I said.

"Maybe he knew he couldn't fight you." Mulan said.

"Maybe." I said.

"Anyway... What now?" Sora asked.

"I think that we better get rid of all the Heartless first." Goofy said. Almost as if the word 'Heartless' was some kind of trigger, the whole mountain began to shake.

"What was that? Come on, we better get off the mountain." Mulan said.

"Okay." Sora said. Just as we headed down, another quake shook the mountain. This time a giant, dragon-like Heartless appeared from under the snow. Instead of attacking us, it flew over us and headed toward the city.

"It's going toward the city! We've got to warn the Captain and Emperor so they an evacuate the city." I said.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _Unknown to the group, the hooded man was at the city, warning the Emperor of the Heartless and advising him to evacuate the city._

* * *

My Pov

When we reached the city, I noticed that it looked abandoned. Where were the villagers?

"Huh? Everything's fine." Sora said. That's when I saw Ling, Yao and Chien-Po.

"What's going on? Where is everyone? Are they somewhere safe?" I asked.

"If it's the giant creature hurting them, don't sweat it." Yao said.

"It's true, Your Highness. We've already evacuated the city." Chien-Po said. How did they already know about the Heartless?

"How do you know about the creature?" Mulan asked.

"The man in the black coat just told us to evacuate the city and then went to the palace." Ling said. We hurried to the palace only to find the doors locked.

"Open up!" Sora demanded. There had to be another way in.

"Over here!" Mulan said. She ran over to a pillar. I realized what we need to do. We had to climb up the pillar which had a small opening at the top, which would lead us inside the palace. Veemon hung on to Sora while Salamon hung on to me. Goofy and Donald climbed up first. Then me and then Sora. Mulan followed behind us. I looked down to see Mulan's footing slip.

"Mulan!" I cried. Sora reached out to grab her, but she managed to regain her footing and resumed climbing. We got into the palace and looked around. I looked toward the throne room doors and saw someone from the Organization standing in front of them. We jumped down to the ground and slowly walked up behind the man.

"Wait!" Mulan yelled. The man cringed and turned around to face us. I took a few more steps toward him. I needed to know if it was him.

"...Riku?" I asked. I could feel Sora, Donald and Goofy looking at me weird. The man removed his hood and it wasn't Riku. It was Braig!

"No. Never heard of him. The name's Xigbar." the Nobody said. Just then, several Nobodies surrounded us. I looked back to the doors to see Xigbar was gone. I heard a noise behind me and saw him going to the front doors. We took care of the Nobodies without much difficultly.

"Guess it wasn't Riku." Goofy said. I wish it had been. I really wanted to see him again.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty." I looked at Mulan who was worried. "I can't stay. I'm worried about Shang." Mulan said. I understood.

"Let's go." I said.


	45. The Hooded Man

My Pov

We hurried into the throne room to find the Captain and Emperor surprisingly calm.

"I assume you already know about the Heartless that's heading this way?" I asked.

"Yes. A young man warned us. Isn't that right, Captain Li?" the Emperor said.

"Y-yes, Your Excellency." the captain said.

"The young man arrived not to long ago and told us of the creature. Captain Li was easily defeated by the man. He was the same one in black that I heard whispers about." the Emperor said.

"Did he tell you his name?" I asked.

"He didn't offer his name. He was rather rude." the Emperor said.

"Rude? Then it WAS Riku!" Sora exclaimed. I heard Donald and Goofy whisper something, but I couldn't make it out.

"Why would he come here?" Mulan asked. Suddenly, the whole palace began to shake. "I'll check outside." We hurried to the front doors. Mulan pushed them only slightly open when the Heartless tried to grab her. It flew away from the doors and we ran outside. Our Digivices activated.

 ** _"Veemon digivolve to... Veedramon!"_**

 ** _"Salamon digivolve to... Gatomon!"_**

The Heartless was flying overhead and it suddenly flew straight for us. We all managed to jump out of the way. Then, we all ran up behind it and grabbed onto its tail. We all climbed on its back as it took off into the air. There was a spike on its back that would emit electricity. I destroyed it with one hit, which caused the Heartless to collapse to the ground. We only did minimal damage to it before it knocked us off its back and flew back into the air. This Heartless had the advantage of being able to fly.

"V-Nova Blast!" Veedramon exclaimed. The attack hit one of the Heartless's wings, causing it to swerve. However, the Heartless repaired its wings. How could we beat it?

 _'Hikari, my child. You must find the power sleeping in yourself and release it.'_ a voice said. That voice! It wasn't mom, it was dad!

"I will, Dad." I said. I folded my hands like I was praying and felt a warm light envelope around me. My clothes glowed and changed dramatically. When I opened my eyes, I saw how different I looked. My dress became a purple halter tank top with green, red, and gold lining on the bottom. The top was lined with a thick section of dark purple with gold designs on it, while a gold ornament sat in the center, attached to red, gold, and green material that goes around the neck. Below the chest was a dark purple ribbon tied into a bow with gold accenting. It came with purple sleeves that had gold and blue on top, and gold, green, and red on the bottom, lined with white ruffles. On the left arm, below the shoulder was a romance story emblem. It came with simple gold bracelets with a single blue bead to match the necklace. A gold, white, and blue gradience skirt with small, faded flowers all over it. Designs of pink, yellow, and purple flowers accent the colorful Chinese fans randomly placed on it. The band was purple with gold shapes circling it, with three sheets of material circling the skirt, these being purple with magenta piping, and dark purple lining with gold designs, the second was purple with green piping, and the final layer was golden-yellow. Attached to the skirt was olive material held with a red string bow with colorful pieces attached to it. Attached to the band was a small, thin belt with blue beads on it, some of which are blue dangles. On the left was a romance story emblem, and on each side of the belt was a red string bow with gold pieces attached to it. I now wore crimson wedge sandals with gold and blue toe-straps. They came with a pair of lilac and purple gradience pieces of material, each with a white, blue, and yellow gradience cuff. Attached to it was a gold ornament with a big blue sphere hanging from it, attached to pieces of red, green, yellow, and blue material. The gold ornament sat on a white and red bow. On the lower left of the left leg piece was the romance story emblem. On my head was simple gold tiara with a crescent moon laying on it's side, under a big circle with three pieces attached to it. On each side of the tiara band was a flower shape with a single red string bow and four single pieces of material attached to it; these being green, yellow, blue, and fuchsia. It came with gold pearl earrings with a dangle piece holding three chains of small gold pearls(Look at Aikatsu; Hagoromo Princess Coord). My Crest and Digivice both glowed brightly.

 _ **"Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon!"**_

"Wow!" Goofy and Donald exclaimed.

"Whoa..." Sora and Veedramon gasped.

"Hikari, watch out!" Mulan cried. I looked to see the Heartless heading right for me. I pointed my Keyblade at the Heartless.

"Pearl Chains!" I shouted. Four gold, glowing chains on pearls shot for Starlight and wrapped around the Heartless. I gripped Starlight with both hands, trying to keep it still. "Now Angewomon!" Angewomon flew up and faced the Heartless.

"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon exclaimed. She fired a arrow of light at the Heartless, piercing its chest. The Heartless let out a roar as the impact and power of the arrow proved to be too much. A large Heartless emerged from it as shadows engulfed it. Veedramon reverted back to Veemon and Angewomon only reverted back to Gatomon.

"Way to go, Hikari!" Sora cheered. We went back to the palace to inform the Emperor the Heartless was dealt with.

"Once again, you have served China well. It would please me to reward you. What is it that you wish?" the Emperor asked. I looked at Sora.

"Well..." He looked at me. I nodded to him that it was okay for him to ask since he and I wanted the same thing. "You say a guy in black came to see you. What did he say?" Sora asked.

"This that all you request?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes." I said.

"Dragons have crossed our land and left a great web of paths. These dragons wield much power, and they are the source of many gifts to both man and nature. But it would seem someone of evil intent disturbed one of our dragons, and transformed it into what you call a Heartless. It is my belief that this young man came to warn me of that danger. Then, I could alert and prepare my troops." the Emperor said.

"Did you?" I asked. To this, my adoptive grandfather laughed.

"I was about to, but he told me the situation had changed." the Emperor said.

"He said three 'wise guys' had arrived. And they would take care of things." I stifled my laughter. That had to Riku. "Wise Guy" was one of his nicknames for Sora. "He also said with them was a princess of surpassing beauty, bravery and intelligence. That we needn't worry about anyone getting hurt as she was able to protect anyone while fighting even the most formidable foe." the captain said. I blushed a deep red. It definitely was Riku. I felt Gatomon brush my hand.

"That's gotta be Riku!" Sora said.

"But what's he doin' hanging out with Organization XIII?" Goofy asked.

"He has to have a reason. Remember, Mickey was wearing the coat too." I said.

"Oh! That's right!" Donald said. The Emperor then asked Mulan what her request was and she requested that Shang have a vacation. The Emperor explained that he to refuse since Shang was his bodyguard, but then offered Mulan to serve with him, to which she accepted. The sight of them made my eyes water a little. I noticed it was the same with Sora.


	46. Sometimes Things Don't Go As Planned

My Pov

We arrived back at Beast's Castle. I looked and saw my clothes had changed again. I now wore a dark blue top with the front having a white and blue hound's-tooth pattern to match the sleeves, which had ruffled dark blue cuffs. Randomly placed on the top were flowers, and it came with a small gold necklace with sapphire gems, and a longer necklace with a pink gem. Dark blue skirt with a gold clasp at the belt section and light blue cloth that went around, stopping at the middle. The center section was pale blue and white hound's-tooth with random flower images. On my feet were dark blue pumps with fancy design work over the foot. Around each ankle was a lace cuff with red and yellow flower corsages and a single, big pink gem on the front(Look at Aikatsu; Pied de Poule Coord). I still wore my tiara on my head. I looked and saw Beast, all dressed-up and pacing back and forth.

"Beast!" I said. He turned around to face us.

"Why are you here?" Beast asked.

"The Nobodies world is out there and we're looking for a way in." I said.

"No Heartless and no Nobodies!" Donald said.

"I think they're close, though..." Goofy said.

"Better watch out!" Sora said. Beast simply scoffed and turned back to face the ballroom doors.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No. It's just... tonight is very important." Beast said. That's when Belle, dressed is an elegant yellow gown, began walking down to the ballroom. Belle flashed a smile at us before meeting Beast in front of the ballroom doors. They bowed to each other and Beast escorted Belle into the ballroom.

"Uh, maybe we came at a bad time." Goofy said.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Donald said. Then, Donald ran toward the ballroom.

"Donald!" me and Sora exclaimed. We went into the ballroom and saw Beast and Belle.

"Now then, Monsieur, Mademoiselle. Please, enjoy the evening." That's when the servants noticed us. "And of course, our honored guests are welcome, too." Lumiere said.

"A welcome indeed." a voice said. That was Xaldin's voice! Beast pulled Belle close to him and looked around. We ran out farther into the ballroom and saw him up on the higher level of the room.

"The Organization!" Sora exclaimed.

"You don't know when to quit." Xaldin said.

"Oh yeah! We'll show you!" Donald said.

"Get out!" Beast yelled.

"Not tonight!" Belle exclaimed. Xaldin snapped his fingers and several Nobodies appeared.

"I've come to take something that you hold dear." Was he after Belle? Beast let out a loud roar. "Yes. Let your anger grow..." Xaldin said. He disappeared.

"Beast, we need to get rid of the Nobodies." I said. It didn't take that long to get rid of all of them. "Where's Belle!?" We looked toward the balcony and saw Belle, her Roselia and servants were safe. "Oh, thank goodness!"

"Guess Xaldin didn't take anything after all." Goofy said. Beast suddenly bolted past us and ran out of the ballroom.

"What's wrong?" Then Belle ran past us after the Beast. "Belle? What's with them?" Sora asked. What was all that about?

"Maybe Belle isn't the only thing precious to Beast." Goofy said. I thought for a minute. What else was dear to Beast beside Belle? I happened to look down at my apron and saw the beautiful roses that were grouped together on her ear. Wait...roses? The rose!

"The rose is what Xaldin went after!" I exclaimed.

"C'mon!" Donald said. We hurried to the west wing and found Beast pacing back and forth while growling under his breath. He was angry. He let out a frustrated roar and slammed his large paws to the floor.

"What's wrong?" Beast didn't answer Belle, so she cautiously walked over to him. "Please, calm down!" Belle cried.

"Calm down!? You just had to have a party, didn't you? Don't you see what's happened?" Beast asked. Both me and Sora went up to try and calm him down.

"Hey. What's with you?" Sora asked.

"You've never snapped at Belle like this, Beast." I said.

"The rose... My rose..." Beast said. I looked our to the table the rose had been originally to see it gone. Xaldin had just sent the Nobodies to create a diversion so he could steal the rose without having to worry about getting caught until it was too late.

"What, that? He took it?" Sora asked.

"But surely, you can find another rose..." Belle said. I guess she didn't know about the curse and that the rose was a measure of the time Beast had left to break the curse.

"Silence!" Beast's outburst made me and Sora jump. Veemon and Gatomon jumped and hid behind us. "You don't know anything!" Beast shouted. Okay, he may be a friend, but he was crossing the line. Both Sora and I stood in front of Belle to protect her.

"Beast, enough! Why are you yelling at Belle? It's not her fault!" I yelled.

"Hikari's right. It's not fair for you to take it out on Belle. It's not like she stole it!" Sora exclaimed. Beast realized what he was doing and stopped.

"I'm sorry." Belle said.

"You don't have to apologize." Sora said.

"You didn't do anything wrong Belle." I said.

"But..." Belle said. Beast got a sad look on his face.

"Belle... Sora... Hikari... I want you to leave the castle." Beast said. What? "Look at me. Look. This is what I am. When you first got here, I tried to change. But I was only fooling myself. I can't be any different. I'll always be a beast. So, I should live like a beast. With no one, alone. Good-bye, Belle."

"You can't mean that..." Belle said. Beast refused to look at Belle or us and walked away.

"Beast..." I said.

"Aw, I think his mind's all made up." Goofy said.

"Yeah." I said. Belle, sadly, started walking away to go back to her room. Her Roselia followed close behind. "Look, Belle, Leave this to us. If we can get Beast's rose back, he'll calm down." Sora said. We simply nodded and left the room. We followed Belle outside to see the servants had followed after their master too.

"How could it have come to this?" Cogsworth asked.

"And they were so looking forward to this evening..." Lumiere said.

"Now, now—no need to be sad. Once the rose is back safely, this will all be over." Mrs. Potts said.

"What's so special about one rose, anyway?" Sora asked.

"There's a time limit, isn't there? I noticed that the rose was somewhat wilted. Is it a clock telling the Beast how much time is left for him to break the curse?" I asked.

"Exactly! If the master can love and be loved in return, the spell will be broken. We'll all be human again." Cogsworth said.

"Yeah. You told us." Donald said.

"But, as her highness suspected, there is a time limit. He must find his true love before the last petal falls from that rose." Lumiere said.

"Ah, but that is not all... Over time, caring for that rose has become a cherished part of the master's daily life." Cogsworth said.

"It's as thought all his hopes and dreams are tied to that single bloom..." Mrs. Potts said.

"Poor Beast!" Sora exclaimed.

"I know. No wonder he got so angry and snapped at Belle." I said.

"We need to get it back." Sora said.

"Please do!" Mrs. Potts said.

"We need to snap Beast out of his depressed state. We'll need his help." I said.


	47. The Treasured Flower

My Pov

We went back into Beast's room. We still faced away from the door, looking at the empty table.

"Beast." I said.

"Leave me alone." Beast said.

"C'mon, you need to hear this. You use to be fearless. You would have given your life to save Belle. Don't you know what that meant for us? You gave us all courage. Hmph, maybe you should have kept some for yourself." Sora said. That statement right there made Sora sound like Van. "I mean, are you really gonna throw your happiness away? The rose is your only hope, isn't it?"

"But it's also everyone's only hope. Cogsworth, Lumiere, Plumette, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Sultan. Everyone. Don't throw away the only chance you have." I said.

"Remember what it was like before Belle lived here?" Beast asked. Beast rose his head and I knew he was getting his confidence back.

"See? You can't give up. Not now." Sora said.

"I know one thing. This castle belongs to me. Xaldin will never be welcome." Beast said. We all nodded. We decided to look for the rose. I think Beast was ready to turn his castle upside-down to get back. We hurried to the main hall when I heard Xaldin's voice.

"So, Beast... you came after all. You had me worried. I was afraid you'd given up for good." Xaldin mocked. We looked to see Xaldin, bell jar in hand, standing on the window just above the ballroom doors. Veemon and Gatomon were both hissing at him.

"What do you guys really want?" Sora asked.

"...Kingdom Hearts." What? That's what they were after!? Xaldin removed his hood and I immediately recognized him as Dilan. "When Kingdom Hearts is ours, we can exist fully and completely. "So you see, Beast—that's why we need your Heartless AND your Nobody!" Xaldin said. Like before in the ballroom, Xaldin summoned several Nobodies. And like before, it didn't take us look to defeat them. Xaldin floated over us and to the front doors. He gave us one last look before stepping outside. We ran after him, but didn't see him.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Huh?" Goofy asked. I looked at Goofy, who was looking upward. I followed his stare and saw Belle, now in her normal clothes, on the balcony of her room. Goofy started waving to her and Donald started yelling at him. She seemed to understand the situation and started going back to her room when she stopped. Then, she came back into view, holding something.

"Look! It's the rose!" Belle called. How did she have the rose? That's when it clicked in my head.

"Belle, get back in your room!" I yelled. She seemed confused, but before she could react, Xaldin appeared behind her and grabbed her.

"Belle!" Beast said. Xaldin picked her up and jumped over the gate. Beast practically broke the doors down chasing after him. We followed close behind him. I saw Xaldin near the entrance gate, one arm holding the rose and the other around Belle. "You! Get out of my castle, now!" Beast exclaimed.

"With pleasure, but I'd rather travel light... What shall I leave behind? Belle? Or the rose?" Xaldin asked. This guy may be Dilan's Nobody, but he's nowhere near like him.

"Belle!" Beast said. We ran toward Xaldin to try and get Belle for him. What happened next surprised me. Belle elbowed Xaldin in the stomach and grabbed the rose back. She ran past us back to the castle.

"That was so cool, Belle!" I said.

"Awesome!" Gatomon said.

"Good one, Belle!" Sora exclaimed.

"Nice move!" Veemon said. I saw the proud look on her face. A light came from the rose and touched my clothes. The rose had given me some new powers and changed my clothes. I now wore a red top with black lining to give it the look of a corset with a violet, red, and orange rose pinned to the lower-left side. At the neck was black string that tied it around the neck, with a gold dot in the center and gold jewelry dangling from it. It came with red sleeves with ruffled cuffs and black string work on top. On the side of the arm was a tattoo. A two layer, dark red skirt with lighter red ruffled lining on the bottom and top layer. There was black accenting, and on top was a black cloth with golden images depicted on it, wrapped low and pinned with a red rose and an orange one. A crescent moon charm dangled from the roses. My shoes became black sandals with the toe section there. Over the foot was a yellow moon broach, and connected to it were straps going around the ankle, each with a gold ring and a ruby gem below it. Worn with sheer socks with flowers on the sides. My tiara turned into a big red flower with two gold diamonds and a red gem in the middle. Attached to it was black lace material. It also came with gold hoop earrings connected to red flowers(Look at Aikatsu; Andalusia Coord). Xaldin had a ticked off look on his face. Six small spirals of wind and dirt sprouted from the ground. They turned into six lances that were the same as the one Dilan had used.

"You messed with the wrong people!" I yelled. I ran toward the Nobody of my friend. Xaldin kept moving around so it was hard to pin him down. "Gatomon, go!"

 _ **"Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon!"**_

"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon exclaimed. A rainbow light surround all of us. While it strengthened us, it paralyzed Xaldin.

"I-I can't move!" Xaldin exclaimed.

"Rose Wind!" A powerful, red-pink wind with rose petals seem to come out of nowhere and go toward Xaldin. It engulfed and destroy him. His lances fell to the ground and turned into pillars of light as he faded back into darkness. Angewomon reverted back to Gatomon. We went back to the courtyard.

"Here. It's yours again." Belle said. She handed the bell jar back to Beast.

"Belle..." Beast said.

"I know. You want me to leave the castle." Belle said. We looked at them with worried and saddened faces.

"What matters is... You weren't hurt by Xaldin. You're safe." At least he was talking to her. "And... I'm very grateful to you.. for bringing the rose back to me. Thank you." Beast said.

"It's the least I could do. You've been good to me. And you didn't have to be." Belle said.

"Listen, Belle..." Beast said.

"Yes?" Belle asked. Beast suddenly became scared and looked at us.

"You can do it!" I said.

"Say it!" Sora said.

"Go on!" Lumiere said.

"C'mon!" Donald said. Everyone cheered him on.

"Belle, I'd like you to stay... With me... Please?" Beast asked.

"I will." Belle said.

"Maestro—music!" Lumiere said. The two began to dance and resume the evening they planned. The sight warmed my heart.

"Hey, did you see Belle's face when she grabbed the rose?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. She was having fun." I said. The four of us decided to bow out and head off to help our other friends.


	48. Manipulation of Hades

My Pov

We arrived back at the Coliseum, except we were in the Underworld again. I looked at my clothes to see they changed again. I now wore a pale lavender tank top with gems lining the top and a pleat-styling on bottom. Over it was a shimmering yellow cloth wrapped around one shoulder and pinned by a creamy white flower, with a single lilac accessory. It came with a bronze-silver, multi-layer necklace, an arm accessory and a bracelet. A yellow dress with flowers and a single lilac crescent moon on the upper-side. Going around the lower half was a gold chain with tiny purple gems. Between the top and bottom layers was a lilac lining part, and the bottom layer was pale lavender pleat. On top was a sparkling lilac belt with chains on it. On my feet were yellow heels with shiny dark blue and gold themed straps and parts over the foot. In my hair was a silver crescent moon decorated with two small gems of blue and purple, with a giant ruby in the middle. Attached to it were three dangle pieces consisting of silver pieces and a single gem. It came with with jewel earrings formed into a circle with red drop gems inside and five parts of silver dangling from them(Look at Aikatsu; Yellow Moon Cactus Coord). We looked around.

"The coast looks clear." I said.

"Yeah, no sign of the Nobodies or the Heartless... for now, anyway." Sora said. That's when we saw some lights across the Sea of the Dead.

"What's that?" Donald asked.

"The Underdrome." a familiar voice said. We looked to see both Auron, Zack and Guilmon.

"All kinds of monsters from the Underworld would fight there—fight after fight." Zack said.

"But Zeus didn't like the senseless violence, so he locked the place up." Auron said.

"Who UN-locked it?" I asked.

"Someone musta broken the seal." Zack said.

"A fool, more than likely." Auron said.

"What an idiot." Sora said. Auron started to walk away. "Where are you going, Auron? We should catch up!"

"If you need something to do, go help your friends." Auron said. I looked toward the entrance of the Underworld and saw Hercules and Meg. Auron left and I turned to Zack.

"Hikari, you look so different now." Zack said. I knew he met my hair and clothes.

"Yeah. Decided to make some changes. How's Hercules doing?" I asked.

"Not good. He still doubting himself." Guilmon said. We decided to walk over there to see if he was feeling even slightly better.

"Hey." Hercules said.

"Herc! You feeling any better?" Sora asked.

"Well... same routine. Wonderboy here thinks his hero days are over. And Phil thinks it's all in his head." Meg said.

"That's right... Blunderboy." Oh great. "How can you mope on this momentous day like today?" And then, the royal pain appears. "The Underdrome's back, and you're gonna fill the stands. After all, your fans won't settle for anything less than a certified hero." Hades said. Hercules got a angry look on his face, but that faded right away. "I mean, if you're not up to it, you could always just, I dunno, LOSE?"

"You'd like that!" I said.

"Jerk!" Gatomon exclaimed.

"Excuse me? I'm not a selfish guy. I'm not like those high and mighty snobs on Olympus. I sand of the masses! And have I got a massive idea! The games, ladies and gentlemen... are back! Yours truly, Hades—the one and only Lord of the Dead—brings you the ultimate games, to celebrate the re-opening of the ultimate coliseum! We'll finally answer that old-age question: Who deserves the title of 'Ultimate Hero'? These game are gonna settle the debate once and for all! The winner reigns supreme. Of what? You guessed it! The Hades Cup! And I assure you that the 'Great' Hercules will be there. Otherwise..." Hades said. He look toward Meg. I stood in front her with a look on my face that read 'Back the hell off!'.

"Don't you dare!" I snapped.

"Well, too bad! That's the deal. Fight or you never see your girlfriend again. Also, your little friends can't use their little pets." Hades said. Then, he disappeared.

"Lowlife!" Zack yelled.

"You're too kind, kid." Hades said. We needed to enter the tournament with Hercules. He wasn't in mental condition to fight by himself. Guilmon, Gatomon and Veemon stayed back. We fought several Heartless before finally making it to the finals.

"We've made it to the finals!" Sora said.

"If we win, we'll all be heroes!" Donald exclaimed.

"Oh, that's why you're so happy." Goofy said.

"Well, it seems that all that training is going to pay off at last." Zack said.

"Well, we can't be junior heroes forever." I said.

"I'll try not to mess thing up." Hercules said.

"Enough already..." Donald said.

"Hey, look. Isn't that Auron?" Zack asked. We looked to see him standing near the door.

"Auron!" I called. As he turned, I could swear I saw some kind of dark aura around him.

"And you are?" Auron asked.

"Huh?" Goofy asked.

"Auron?" Donald asked.

"I must defeat you and atone for my crimes." Auron said.

"Hey!" He turned and walked away. "What was that all about?" Sora asked. The five of us followed Auron to the cave of the dead entrance. We hid and noticed he was talking to Hades.

"Okay, let's review. State your crime, prisoner." Hades said.

"I exist. That is my crime. It is... inexcusable." Auron said. Why was Auron talking like a robot?

"What's with Auron? He wasn't acting like that too long ago." Zack said. I gently shushed him so as to not reveal we were listening.

"Okay, so you made one lousy mistake: you exist. But hey, I'm a forgiving guy. You keep your end of the deal and I'm wiling to overlook a transgression or two." Hades said.

"I understand. Defeat Hercules." Auron said. What?!

"And his meddling friends." Hades said.

"What? No, only Hercules." Auron said. Auron wasn't agreeing with him all the way.

"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten who's in charge?" Hades asked. Hades placed a hand on Auron's shoulder and so kind of energy started coming out of him. In his other hand, Hades had a statue that look like Auron. The energy went into the statue. "Hercules and the other five. Are we clear?"

"We're clear, Hades." Auron said, straining.

"LORD Hades." Hades enunciated.

"Lord Hades..." Auron said.

"Good. Now go." Hades said. We hid as Auron made his way toward the door. As we walked past us, I noticed the statue.

"That statue is how Hades is controlling him!" I said.

"We've got to get away from him." Zack said.

"We should stop Auron first." Goofy said. We hurried after Auron to try and stop him from fighting Hercules.


	49. A Hero is Born

My Pov

We ran to the boat, but it began going toward the Underdrome before we could stop him.

"What's wrong?" Hercules asked.

"Hades is up to his old tricks. He's manipulating Auron into fighting you." I said.

"He's using some kind of statue." Goofy said.

"You know something? That sounds kind of familiar..." We all looked at him. "Hades may be using the statue to hold Auron's free will hostage." Hercules said.

"What do we do?" Donald asked.

"See if you can find that statue. It's gotta be somewhere in the Underworld." Hercules said.

"We're on it!" Zack said. That's when Hades suddenly appeared behind us.

"Tell me you're not thinking of leaving. You've got a match coming up." Hades said.

"I'll fight Auron in the final. One on one." Hercules said. Was Herc crazy?!

"Oh, you will?" Hades asked. Hades turned his back to us.

"I'll draw things out to buy you guys time." Hercules said.

"But-" Sora said.

"Just hurry back. I know you guys can do it!" Hercules said.

"Congratulations! You've got a deal." Hades said.

"Thanks." Hercules said.

"On one condition! The Keyblade bearer, the Princess and their trusty friends have to meet the winner in one final clash, whaddya say?" Hades asked.

"That'll drive the crowd wild..." Hercules said.

"It'd better. I promised the crowd the event of their afterlives." Hades said. Hercules got on the boat and they went to the Underdrome.

"Where do you think the statue could be?" Goofy asked.

"If I had to guess, probably in Hades's Chamber." Zack said. We hurried toward the chamber. I looked toward the table and saw the statue.

"There it is!" I said. Sora went to grab it, but some kind of red electricity shocked him. I tried to pull him off of it, but I got shocked too. Zack, Goofy and Donald tried to help but got shocked just like us.

"What's going on?!" Donald exclaimed. That's when we started hearing Auron's voice saying multiple things.

 _It is not too late!_

 _Let us turn back!_

 _Yes, but I... I cannot accept it._

 _Where is the sense in all this?_

 _But... there must be another way!_

 _Your deaths will mean nothing!_

 _You must live!_

"Poor Auron..." I said.

"I get it. This is the stuff that belongs in Auron's heart." Sora said.

"He's like other SOLDIERS. We have hard lives. We need to give back to him." Zack said. We hurried back the Underworld entrance and then took the boat to the Underdrome. We got there and saw Auron had Hercules pinned down.

"Auron, stop!" I yelled.

"Auron, we have something that belongs to you!" Donald said. Sora took out the statue and threw it over Auron. It exploded and tiny particles of light were absorbed into Auron's body. Auron stopped what he was doing and then looked toward us.

"Sora... Hikari... Zack... Donald... Goofy." Auron said.

"Auron!" we all exclaimed. He was back to his old self.

"Why those little-! Ugh, prisoner! What happened to our mutual agreement. I can give you a clean slate, but you gotta to work with me." Hades said.

"Maybe you didn't hear me. This is my story and you're not part of it." Auron said. Hades was furious. He disappeared in a blaze of fire and reappeared at our level.

"That's it! This game is over. I've played by the rules so far. Okay, I confess! I was hoping Wonderboy would lose, but it was till a fair fight. C'mon, is that really so wrong?" Hades asked.

"Really? A fair fight?" Sora said.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh all you want! Because the laughing is about to stop. Wanna know why? Because now we're gonna play by my rules." Hades said. He snapped his fingers and all at once, Meg was hovering over a pool of souls.

"Meg!" Hercules yelled.

"Hercules!" Meg screamed.

"Hey, I warned you right at the get-go. You don't compete, you lose the girl." Hades snapped his fingers and Meg fell down. Hercules jumped after her. "Looks like Wonderboy has dropped out of the standings." Hades said. Every single one of us was shooting daggers at him.

"We're still here, Hades!" Zack said.

"And we're going to make you pay for this!" I exclaimed. Unfortunately, we still couldn't inflict any damage on him.

"Why can't we beat him?!" Sora asked.

"This is impossible!" Donald exclaimed.

"Because it's his Underworld." Auron said.

"Gee, then how do we beat him?" Goofy asked.

"I think a true hero should be able to help." a familiar voice said. We all looked to see Hercules, glowing with a heavenly aura, with Meg in his arms. "I owe you one Hades. You helped me remember what makes a true hero; the strength of his heart." Pegasus took Meg out of the Underworld.

"How dare you get a happy ending! How DARE you!" Hades screamed. Sora and Zack's Digivices activated.

 _ **"Veemon digivolve to... Veedramon!"**_

 _ **"Guilmon digivolve to... Growlmon!"**_

We could beat him now. Then my clothes changed. I now wore a tank-top consisting of a white chest with a gold line of tiny dangle charms, a royal blue mid-section lined in gold shaped like diamonds, and a bottom composed of dark indigo and purple with a curly gold line with rubies, sapphires, and emerald. The top was held on with dark blue-black, thin strings tying onto the back of the gold neck piece that came with a single sapphire in the center. It came with white puffed sleeves with gold mid-sections and royal blue, glittering cloth on the bottom. A layered skirt that began with a shimmering blue, lined in gold part, then the next layer was a shimmering dark purple and adorned with crescent moons and big gem markings. On the side was a light blue colored cloth attached by two parts of the skirt. My heels turned into a pair of gold sandals with silver toe and heels. There were tiny gems decorating them, and on top was a shimmery blue segment with gems and gold parts to match the lining. On my head was a thin gold band that went over the forehead with a big red diamond in the center, a silver banded tiara with gold detailing on top and a moon with gems on it. Sprouting from my back was a pair of white fan-like, feathery wings with many gold and colored gems adorning them, and silver earrings with rubies and tiny blue gems(Look at Aikatsu; Mysterious Virgo Coord). That's when mine, Sora and Zack's Digivices and Crests glowed brightly.

 _ **"Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon!"**_

 _ **"Veedramon digivolve to... AeroVeedramon!"**_

 _ **"Growlmon digivolve to... WarGrowlmon!"**_

"Hikari!" Hercules exclaimed. He shot a large sphere of light into air. Angewomon and I flew up and into the sphere. We manifested my power into the sphere and strengthened its power. We popped out of the sphere and shot it toward Hades. It weakened whatever protected Hades from damage.

"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon exclaimed. While Hades was paralyzed, all of us gained new strength.

We were able to attack and defeat him without much difficulty now. In the end, Hades ended up falling into the Sea of Souls. AeroVeedramon reverted to DemiVeemon, WarGrowlmon reverted to Gigimon and Angewomon reverted to Gatomon. Auron thanked us for helping him, but he said it as 'meddling'. We went back to the destroyed coliseum and saw it was night out. It looked beautiful. That's when I noticed something with the stars.

"Wow..." Gatomon said.

"Guys, look!" I said. They looked and we saw the stars make silhouettes of me, Salamon, Sora, Veemon, Zack, Guilmon, Donald and Goofy.

"Looks like Zeus recognizes you all as true heroes." Phil said.

"At last! True hero hood!" Zack exclaimed. All of them were jumping for joy. Me and Gatomon? We just looked up and admired the view.


	50. A Gambling Game

My Pov

We arrived back at Port Royal. I looked at my clothes to see they changed again. I now wore a white tube top worn underneath a glittering blue top that tied below the chest, held with a bunch of colored gems held together. Along the sleeves were tiny dots and gold cross shapes, and it was worn with two gold bangles, and a gold two layer necklace with two red and purple diamond gems, and a big ruby in the center. A blue, glittery skirt with small pleats and gold cross shapes with a silver moon at the mid-section. Between every few pleats were sections of white, an it's worn with a thin gold chain belt that had gems of teal, purple, and red. On my feet were fuchsia heels with the bands lined in dark blue and adorned with a single teal gem surrounded by gold shapes. On each ankle was a glittering purple cloth that tied around it with a big sapphire gem(Look at Aikatsu Moon Holic Coord). That's when we were hearing echoes of something.

"That's coming from the port." Goofy said.

"Let's check it out." Sora said. We headed to the port and saw several cursed pirates. "Jack!"

"Uh... Zola, Akari, some assistance!" Jack called.

"That's Sora, Hikari, Donald and Goofy!" Sora corrected.

"Will you leave a mate to perish?" Jack asked in a dramatic way.

"Aye aye..." I said. DemiVeemon digivolved to Veemon and we dealt with the cursed pirates. "What's going on, Jack?!"

"Some scallywag must have gotten greedy." Jack said. We gave him a look. "I see... you don't trust me."

"Not entirely." I said.

"Wise choice. After all, I am a pirate." Jack said.

"Sora! Your Highness!" a voice yelled. We looked to see Elizabeth, who had a frantic look on her face.

"Elizabeth!" Sora exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's Will!" He went out to Isla de Muerta to check on the cursed chest and he hasn't come back!" Elizabeth said. Jack started walking away, but I stopped him.

"Jack, you're the one with a ship and we need to set sail now." I said. After a bit of persuasion, we boarded the Black Pearl and sent sail. Jack wasn't thrilled about the idea, but we needed to help Will. After an encounter with several cursed pirates, we found ourselves getting closer to Isla de Muerta.

"Interceptor off the starboard bow!" Goofy called. We all looked and saw the Interceptor. That's when I spotted Will slumped over the side of the ship.

"Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed. We got close enough to where we could pull Will on to the ship. We brought him down to the captain's quarter's and after a while, he came to.

"What happened?" Donald asked.

"The medallions... and... the stone chest—someone's taken them... Next thing I knew, we were attacked... but I couldn't see who it was—his face was shrouded... in a black hood." Will said.

"The Organization!" Sora said.

"They must have taken the chest!" Veemon exclaimed.

"We found a way out of the cave... but the villain sent a horde of terrible creatures after us... I've never seen faces like theirs before... I think I'm the only one who made it back to the ship..." Will said. Then he fell unconscious again.

"Our turn, guys." Sora said.

"You'd best be prepared. We've no idea what's out there." Elizabeth said.

"Pardon me, lads and lasses, but your captain will have no monsters today. Thank ye. We're turning for home." Jack said.

"Just like that?" I asked.

"Just like that!" Of course he was chickening out. Sometimes I wondered if he had a courageous bone in his body. We went back up to the deck and noticed an uninvited person was there along with the stone chest. "Don't remember invitin' you." Jack said.

"So it was the Organization! We'll take it from here!" Sora said.

"The Darkness of men's hearts—drawn to these cursed medallions; and this Heartless—a veritable maelstrom of avarice: I wonder, are they worthy to serve Organization XIII?" the unknown asked. A large Heartless appeared behind him.

"And you want an answer now?" Jack asked.

"Precisely!" the unknown said. He disappeared, leaving the Heartless for us to deal with. I jumped on its head, propelled myself up, grabbed a rope and swung around and hit it with my feet, knocking it overboard into the water.

"Oh boy!" Donald exclaimed.

"Nice move, Hikari!" Sora said.

"We're not done yet!" I said. The man had come back. He removed his hood to reveal he had platinum blond hair that was very short and worn in a Caesar cut, and he had blue eyes. He also had facial hair, a goatee with the same blond color as his hair. He wore five silver piercings on his ears; four helix piercings in the form of two hoops on each ear and one piercing shaped like the Nobody symbol dangling from one earlobe. The latter piercing hung from his left ear in-game and his right in some artwork, indicating that both earlobes are pierced. He looked like... "Dulor?" He laughed and shook his head.

"No. I am Luxord." he said. My grip on my Keyblade tightened. Were all the people I cared for Nobodies?

"Throw him overboard!" Jack ordered.

"Aye aye!" Sora agreed.

"Parley!" Luxord declared.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Barley?" Goofy asked.

"It's a bit of a pirate's code. Anyone who evokes 'parley' must not be harmed til negotiations are complete." Jack said.

"This is no time for rules!" Sora said.

"True. But as we're honorable pirates we should always stick to the Code. All right, you. Out with it!" Jack said.

"I surrender the chest with my humblest apologizes." Luxord said. That was too easy.

"Rather accommodating of you, mate. And for that you want...?" Jack asked.

"Just a few souvenirs... for the memories." Luxord said. He grabbed five medallions and threw one each to a Nobody.

"Oh, no! We can't stop the curse unless we got all the medallions!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Our friend is about to learn what it means to cross a pirate." Jack said. That's when the Heartless from before sprang out of the water, but its entire appearance had changed. "Sora! Hikari! Donald! Goofy! He's yours!" Before we could attack the Heartless, it swung it scythe, creating a huge whirlwind, and knocked us on to the Interceptor.

"Fire!" Luxord exclaimed. All the cannons on the side facing us fired and destroyed the Interceptor. I fell under the water and I couldn't move. The attack somehow had paralyzed me. As I looked up and the light of the moon, I wondered if I would drown. My vision went black, but not before I saw Sora swimming furiously toward me and pulling me up toward the surface. Something was weird though. I could easily think that the darkness of the water made Sora's hair look black, but that didn't explain why his eyes were yellow.


	51. End of the Curse

My Pov

I opened my eyes and saw I was back on the Interceptor, or what was left of it. I lifted myself up as best I could.

"Hikari, are you okay?!" Sora asked, worried. Sora helped me to my feet.

"Yeah." I looked at Jack and saw he was a skeleton again. "You stole a medallion again!?" I exclaimed.

"Were I only that fortunate..." Jack said.

"Fortunate?" Donald asked.

"So, uh, how come you're skeleton-y?" Goofy asked.

"Perhaps I got a touch o' somethin' from that monster what attacked us. Yet, why's the skin restin' right on you four?" Jack asked.

"'Cause we're not greedy!" The three of us looked at Donald. "What are you looking at?" Donald asked.

"That still doesn't solve the mystery." Sora said. Jack walked out of the light and became human again.

"Gawrsh... Maybe the reason we're all okay is because we're not from this world." Goofy said.

"There must be different laws." Donald said.

"Yeah. We're always just passing through." I said.

"Wonder if we'll ever see home again..." Sora said.

"Sora, don't think that." Veemon said.

"Sora..." I said.

"Just kiddin' you! Lucky we didn't get cursed!" Sora said.

"Quit yammerin', mates! We've got to find ourselves a ship that'll float." Jack said. We sent Veemon and Salamon back out to help us search. We searched, but found nothing that would help us.

"Oh, Sora, thanks for saving me from drowning. I thought I was a goner." I said. Sora looked at me confused.

"Hikari, it couldn't have been me. I was unconscious and floated here." Sora said. If it wasn't Sora, then who could have... Van. He had saved me.

"Look!" Donald exclaimed. We looked in the direction Donald pointed and saw a Nobody tossing a medallion around.

"A medallion! Get it!" Jack exclaimed.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon excalimed. She lunged at the Nobody and punched it. She managed to destroy it before it escaped. Jack picked up the medallion. "Three more to go!"

"How do you know?" Sora asked.

"Jack's always said a pirate has to have a keen eye, or he won't last long." I said.

"Precisely." Jack said.

* * *

Sora's Pov

We managed to find another medallion while at the ship graveyard, but we still need a way to go find the others. That's when we heard a creaking noise coming toward us. We turned to see the Black Pearl.

"Ahoy, mateys!" Elizabeth called.

"Ridiculous imitation— and yet, I'm flattered." Jack said. We sailed to Isla de Muerta and found the last two medallions.

"That's four medallions. We got 'em all!" I said.

"But where's the chest?" Jack asked.

"If we find the hooded man, we'll find it." Will said.

"Then we need to head back to Port Royal." Hikari said.

"Why's that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Organization XIII's after people's hearts. So, they're going to go where there's lots of people." I said.

"They'll hurt the townsfolk?" Will asked.

"No, they're bringin' 'em flowers, mate. I don't know who these Organizers are, but I will say they're makin' we pirates look like proper gents." Jack said.

"Well, Jack... then... we have to help!" Will said.

"Then let go and haul to run free!" Jack said. We soon came to Port Royal and found the chest, along with the Heartless. "Go! He's for me." The Heartless chased after Jack. I placed the medallions and the Heartless changed back to normal.

"The curse— it's gone!" Donald exclaimed. The curse was gone, but Jack hadn't changed back.

"Then what's this?" Jack asked.

"Aw, I understand. Jack musta been cursed by the monster, not from takin' the gold." Goofy said.

"Oh, I've no worries, then." Jack said.

"Jack, we just need to beat the Heartless, that's all." Hikari said. It would've been that easy, but the Heartless would knock out medallions and absorb to prevent us from inflicting damage. That's when Hikari's tiara glowed and soon her clothes began glowing. Her top and skirt merged into a cyan colored dress with the chest section being black and the middle being ice blue. Below it are three gold clasps, and the neck is white with a broach attached to it. Below the top half is a small amount of ice blue ruffles, while the skirt layering consists of blue with big white ruffles, cyan sides, and pale blue split center held by two clasps. It came with black arm bracers with gold detailing, white ruffles, and tiny gems. Her sandals became red heels worn with fishnet panty hose that are black on top and have designs going down them. In her hair was a magenta, blue, and yellow gem ornament with a big magenta diamond attached. It came with two magenta diamond earrings with two yellow "winged" pieces attached and two blue diamonds that dangled from them(Look at Aikatsu; Cyan Trio Coord). Starlight started glowing. "Treasure Snatch!" She zipped and managed to strike the Heartless. She then emptied the all the medallions the Heartless into the chest and reverted back to normal. We destroyed the Heartless and Jack reverted back to his self.

"There! All better." I said.

"Ah, not quite, mate." Jack said. We looked to Luxord taking the Heartless's heart.

"Sora, Hikari, bravo." Luxord said. We went to grab him, but he disappeared before we could.

"Just who was that chap?" Jack asked.

"He's part of an organization that's collecting hearts." I said.

"They release Heartless into different worlds and when we defeat the Heartless, they collect the hearts. At this rate, we won't stop them." Hikari said.

"What's the plan, then?" Jack asked.

"We've gotta find their stronghold and finish them off once and for all." I said. Jack suddenly came up with the idea that he could claim my Keyblade. I let him hold it, only for it to come back to me within a second. After that, we left Port Royal and headed to the next world.


	52. Jafar's Return

My Pov

We arrived back at Agrabah. I looked at my clothes to see they changed again. I now wore a blue, indigo, and grass-green gradient tank top with straps stretching to the front of the shoulder, held with a single gold clasped for each one. The chest portion was a low V-shape, revealing a small amount of powder blue material. Below the chest was an orange and pink butterfly with a big purple gem in the middle, resting on a brown belt-like section lined with gold to match the accenting. It came with a simple necklace with a single dark blue drop gem and two dark purple drop gems, and a pair of brown and gold bracelets below each elbow with a single chain hanging from it, which has tiny beads and a red drop gem. A Kingdom Hearts story emblem rested above the left arm piece. A grass-green skirt with a design composed of emerald green, gold, and blue. The bottom was lined with a brown strap accented with gold, and a single ring of slightly pleated ruffle below it. The band was indigo with gold flower shapes, each with a single, tiny gem in the middle. Hanging from the band is a simple gold piece with hanging ornaments on each side. A blue, indigo, and green gradient layer of skirting hangs from this. On my feet were chocolate-brown sandals with a brown strap covered with the gold flowers on the skirt. The heel was a teal color with brown lining, connected to the very thin string that wrapped around the leg; which had tiny sky blue beads and butterflies attached to it. A Kingdom Hearts emblem was attached to the top of the left leg string(Look at Aikatsu; Borages Butterfly Coord).

"I wonder how Aladdin and Jasmine are?" I wondered aloud.

"Can't hurt to check." Sora said. We went into the peddler's shop and saw it had changed completely. The walls were gold and there was treasure everywhere. Donald backed up and almost knocked over a vase.

"You break it, you buy it!" the peddler snapped. Then the peddler realized who we were. "Oh, hello friends."

"Wow! Someone made out like a thief!" I said.

"Please... I'm just an honest merchant. What you see is a reward for my hard work." the peddler said.

"Gawrsh, they sure are nice." Goofy said.

"And they're on sale! Interested?" the peddler asked.

"No thanks. Listen, have you seen a guy in a black coat?" Sora asked.

"Who me? Most certainly not..." the peddler said.

"Then we'll ask around." I said. Suddenly, Aladdin burst through the doorway.

"Sora! Hikari! Don't let him get away!" Aladdin exclaimed. We looked back, but the peddler was gone.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I can't believe it... That stupid peddler released Jafar from the lamp!" Aladdin said.

"Jafar!?" we all exclaimed. I could literally hear Jafar's twisted laughter ringing in my ears. Gatomon and Veemon shuddered at the mention of Jafar. Aladdin warned us to be careful and for good reason. Jafar would try to take over Agrabah again and come after us. Iago then to us that Jafar was hiding in the desert, but something seemed wrong. Iago was constantly fidgeting and stammering. We went outside the city and saw a sandstorm was raging in the desert.

"What a disaster! We're just gonna hafta turn back." Iago said.

"There's got to be a way..." Aladdin said. That's when we heard Genie's booming voice. Then we saw him zooming toward us.

"Aw, c'mon, kid, that's an easy one! Al, ol' buddy, ol' pal! This is what having a genie for a best friend is all about! I mean, hoe can you leave me on the sidelines in a time like this?!" Genie then grew to a large size. "Live large! Wow 'em, Al." Then he shrunk down to a smaller size. "Give 'em the old razzmatazz! What'd ya say, kid?" Genie said.

"Hey, Genie!" Sora said. Genie turned his attention to us.

"Sora! Hikari!" He shrunk back to his original size. "Wanna see a little something I call 'Sandstorm Sweep'?" Genie asked. We all agreed, but Genie's joy died when he saw it was a small sandstorm. "Give me a challenge next time, Al!" Genie snapped his fingers and the sandstorm subsided. Genie disappeared and we headed off to the ruins. We made it to the ruined remains of the city, but saw we wouldn't find Jafar by walking. That's when carpet flew out of nowhere. It motioned to Sora to hop on it.

"Nice timing, Carpet!" Sora said. Sora and Veemon hopped on Carpet, while Gatomon and I used Starry Twilight. Mew floated just next to me. That's when Jafar's shadow appeared. We chased after it and I manage to hit it, it went toward the roof of a tower. After me and Sora reached the roof, a barrier came up trapping and leaving us to fight Heartless. After taking care of the Heartless a strange statue appeared on the roof. I pressed a button on the statue and it revealed three markers that we needed to go find and activate in order to get inside the tower.

"Sora, let's each go find one and then activate the last one together!" I said.

"Sounds like a plan!" Sora agreed. After activating two of them, we used our Thundara to activate the last marker and rushed back to the tower. The small door in the middle of the tower had opened.

"Hurry!" We got inside the tower. "Jafar! There's no use hiding!" I yelled. No answer. There was no one here.

"You sure this is it?" Aladdin asked.

"Iago?" Donald said. Iago landed on a slab and hung his head.

"Ya gotta understand. It wasn't my idea! It was Jafar. He made me bring you here. You don't know him like I do! He can be VERY convincing!... He said if I didn't cooperate, he was gonna—" Iago was cut off by Aladdin.

"Where is he?" Aladdin asked.

"C'mon Al, ya gotta forgive me." Iago begged.

"Where's Jafar?!" Aladdin demanded.

"Well...um, let's see...right about now, he's probably attacking the palace. I had no choice! His eyes, they got all creepy and WEIRD!" Iago exclaimed.

"Whatever." Sora scoffed.

"I really thought you had changed Iago. You're suppose to be our friend." I said, regretting to have believed him before.

"You should be ashamed of yourself Iago." Gatomon said.

"You were just playing both sides, just to save yourself." Sora said.

"I knew you were still a bad guy." Donald said.

"I'm SORRY!" Iago cried. Iago backed into and shattered a vase. That tripped some kind of trap, as the tower began to shake.


	53. Take to the Skies

My Pov

Sora and the others hopped on Carpet while Gatomon and I hopped on my glider. The ruins were falling apart. We had to dodge falling building, sand geysers and Heartless. We made it out of the desert and back to Agrabah. Carpet collapsed on the ground, wrinkled and exhausted.

"Poor Carpet." I said.

"Get some rest, Carpet. You've earned it." Aladdin said.

"C'mon, let's get Jafar!" Iago exclaimed. We looked at Iago.

"And who asked you?" Sora asked.

"The palace is through there. Hurry!" Aladdin exclaimed. We hurried to the palace and saw the peddler. I needed to know how someone like him got all of that treasure in such a short time.

"I guess you know everything now, eh?" the peddler asked.

"You can't hide shady stuff for long." I said.

"So true. I had just snuck into the palace to, er, borrow some treasure when I heard this... voice. It said: 'Release me, and I will give you a greater reward.' Who are you?' I asked. The voice spoke again. 'The true Sultan of Agrabah.' he said. 'Imprisoned by villains.' Oh! Why did I believe such a tall, tall tale? I must have been under Jafar's spell. Yes! That must be it!" the peddler said.

"And I'm sure the treasure had nothing to do with it, right?" Sora asked.

"Maybe a little. But Jafar , he never gave me a thing..." the peddler said.

"There where did all of that treasure come from?" I asked.

"Why, the man in the black coat, of course." the peddler said.

"Organization XIII?" Donald asked.

"I KNEW it!" Sora exclaimed.

"The treasure was so I would tell no one of Jafar's return. He said he would destroy Jafar after turning him into a... 'Heartless'. So there was no need to upset Agrabah." the peddler said.

"And you believed that?" I asked.

"I'm a mere merchant, and a good one at that. I'll buy anything if the price is right. It would have been a successful transaction if I hadn't been seen..." the peddler said.

"Oh, you're so kind..." Iago said. We all looked at Iago. We hurried to the palace. While I couldn't see them, I could hear them talking.

"Just wait, Jafar! You'll get exactly what's coming to you!" Jasmine exclaimed.

"Indeed I will, Princess. All of Agrabah will belong to me, while you... You, my queen, shall weep by my side for all of eternity! Oh, please. Right about now... your precious Aladdin is whispering you name with his last breath." Jafar said. We got to the courtyard and Jasmine was so happy to see us.

"What was that you were saying Jafar?" Aladdin asked. Iago was perched on my shoulder and Jafar saw him.

"You dare defy me! You useless bird!" Jafar yelled. Jafar's staff glowed. At first, he was aiming for Iago, but then shot it at Aladdin.

"Al!" Iago exclaimed. Iago actually jumped in front of Aladdin and got hit instead.

"Iago!" Goofy exclaimed.

"You'll all be joining him... VERY soon!" Jafar exclaimed. A cloud of red-black smoke formed around Jafar as he turned into his genie-form. Except, this time he was much larger than before. One of the towers broke off and started falling toward us. Carpet got to Sora and I hopped on my glider. That's when my tiara glowed. My clothes changed to a sky blue tank top with many gold attachments and designs on it. It had un-attached two layer sleeves held by gold bangles, and at the neck was a cloth piece that attaches it to the top through a circled piece. It came with a purple choker, rainbow colored bracelet, and a rainbow themed hand piece that was attached to a middle finger ring and multiple gold bangles. A sky blue skirt with three layers of golden ornaments on chain, pinned to the side by a small pink flower. The belt was gold with rainbow colored markings, and the bottom of the skirt depicted a scenery full of flowers, butterflies, grass, and leaves. My sandals became brown, oriental inspired sandals with pink opened flowers at the toe strap, and multiple bands that crossed around the ankle and lower leg. Near the knees were brown bands with rainbow clothes around the bottom. My tiara became a thin red and purple striped band with a bow attached with some beds and feathers. Sprouting from my back were big, golden lined wings with many pink, blue, green, and purple gems. As well as a pair of feather-rainbow themed earrings(Look at Aikatsu; Oriental Libra Coord).

"I guess I don't need my gilder." I said. Which was great since I didn't know if I'd be able to fight using it. This was the first air battle I've ever had. Both my Crest and Digivice activated while only Sora's Digivice activated.

 _ **"Veemon armor digivolve to... Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"**_

 _ **"Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon!"**_

Jafar was a lot stronger than before, I could tell. He used mainly Fire and Thunder based magic. I looked for some kind of weak spot and got an idea. "Sora, Angewomon, Raidramon, attack Jafar's stomach!"

"Blue Thunder!" Raidramon exclaimed. He fired a powerful electric shock from the three protuberances on his back.

"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon exclaimed. She created a cross and sent it toward Jafar. Both attacks combined and hit, causing Jafar to hunch over in pain. I actually grabbed his tail and wrapped it around him.

"What are you doing?" Jafar asked. I pulled his tail as hard as I could and spun him around, making him dizzying. Both Sora and I attacked him as much as possible before he came to. That's when the scenery became that of a black hole. Many building were flung toward us. The area changed back to normal and we went after Jafar. Then I got an idea.

"Desert Mirage!" I cried. My wings glowed and created twenty copies of me and Sora. Jafar only got angrier and started destroying the copies. My wings glowed once more. "Jewel Storm!" Many small jewels surrounded me and shot toward Jafar. It was too much for him. He started to vanish.

"No... How can I BE defeated again, by a pack of filthy street rats?" Jafar demanded to know.

"Don't mess with street rats!" Sora and I said. Jafar and his lamp vaporized. He was finally gone. Raidramon reverted to Veemon and Angewomon reverted to Gatomon. Genie showed up and was a little upset about not being able to help with Jafar, but he got over it and restore Agrabah to its old self. Aladdin wished us luck on finding Riku. We left Agrabah and headed back to Halloween Town.


	54. The Grinch That Stole Christmas

My Pov

We arrived back at Halloween Town, rather the Hinterlands. I looked at my clothes to see they weren't my original outfit. I now wore a dull blue top with ruffled shoulders. At the chest, sleeves, and underneath of the blue section were white ruffled sections, the chest section having a peach bow on it with a gold medallion in the center. Below the chest segment are three gold buttons. It came with black and blue gradient gloves with peach bows on each wrist, and a white collar with a tiny black bow and a gold necklace attached to it with a ruby gem. A blue skirt that had white, and blue-black diamonds all over it. Some of which had symbols in them. Around the section were dark black-blue bunches of glittery cloth that have orange bows attached to big gold bells. On my feet were miniature white boots with dark blue on the toe, heel, and on top, resembling flower shapes. Below this at the top of the shoe were gold sections with string, dark blue bows with ruby gems in the center. Worn with white stockings with one having a dark blue chain pattern on it and the other with writing. My hat became a simple gold crown with four bands connecting it to a light blue section that sat on top of the head. On top of the crown was a gold, upside down diamond shape, while connecting it with the base is a navy blue bow with a big orange ruby in the middle. It came with pale red bow shaped earrings with tiny gold bells attached, and a pair of blue. Sprouting from my back were black gradient raven feather wings with vines of pale blue roses traveling up them(Look at Aikatsu; Nightmare Capricorn Coord). Gatomon had become BlackGatomon. I looked and saw presents scattered everywhere.

"What in the world?" I wondered. That's when Jack appeared in view, picking up the presents and he was still wearing the Santa suit.

"Perfect timing, lady and gentlemen! Lend me a hand, won't you? These presents must belong to Sandy Claws. So I thought I'd better return them." Jack said. I looked at Sora and he wasn't convince either.

"You just happened to find them?" Sora asked, not convinced.

"That seems a little convenient." Veemon said.

"I'm having a little trouble believing that Jack.." I said.

"You were really into the Christmas thing, Jack..." Gatomon said.

"Of course, Hikari. You and Sora know I've given up on the Christmas fantasies." Jack insisted.

"But... You thought you'd hold on to the suit?" Sora asked.

"What, this? It's just a costume. And Sally worked so very hard making it! Come on. We've got work to do!" Jack said. We stepped into the portal that led to Christmas Town. When we got there, I saw my clothes were different from before, but I didn't take time to look at them.

"My clothes are always changing. I wonder why?" I wondered aloud.

"Your clothes probably change to give you an edge in any upcoming battle." Sora suggested. Probably. We went to Santa's house and saw him checking his list. He saw the presents we had and was relieved to see we had them.

"Wherever did you find these?" Santa asked.

"In Halloween Town. You'll be needing them for Christmas, right, Sandy?" Jack said.

"Of course. But these are just a few of the Christmas presents that were stolen." Santa said. Someone stole the presents?!

"Stolen?!" Sora and I exclaimed. That's when we looked at Jack.

"Oh, Sandy... You don't think it was ME?" Jack asked.

"Still wearing the outfit, I see." Santa said.

"I just thought I'd dress for the occasion. But if you don't believe me, then we'll just have to find out who really did it!" Jack declared. All of us looked at Jack like he was crazy. We didn't even know who to suspect yet.

"Very well, I'll leave it to you." Santa said.

"All right, Sora! Hikari! Donald! Goofy!" Jack said. We all hung our heads. That's when the sound of shattering glass came from the workshop. Veemon and Gatomon ran ahead of us. We hurried into the gift wrapping room and saw the troublesome trio going through several toys.

"This looks good." Barrel said.

"No!" Shock snapped.

"Boooring!" Lock complained.

"Hey!" I yelled. The three of them turned to see us and flinched.

"So YOU three took them!" Sora exclaimed.

"Took what?" Shock said.

"You stole the presents, didn't you!" Jack accused.

"It wasn't us!" Lock exclaimed.

"But..." Barrel said.

"It really sounds like fun!" Shock said.

"Run for it!" the three yelled.

"V-Headbutt!" Veemon exclaimed. Veemon rammed into Lock and trapped him in a box.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon exclaimed. She punched both Shock and Barrel and trapped them in two other boxes.

"No fair!" the three whined. We asked them again, but I could tell they didn't know a thing about stolen presents. They explained they had come to Christmas Town looking for parts for an experiment that the doctor was working on. We decided to head back to Halloween Town ask the doctor if he knew anything about it.


	55. The Gift That Comes From the Heart

My Pov

We made it back to Halloween Town and saw several Heartless juggling presents.

"Nightmare Lorelei!" I shouted. Several bats flew and attacked the Heartless. The bats destroyed the Heartless and we gathered the presents. That's when the door to the doctor's lab opened and he stared yelling.

"Oh, help! Someone help me! My latest experiment is gone— it's been stolen!" the doctor cried. The doctor told us that someone knocked him out and when he came to, his experiment was gone.

"Maybe the person who stole the experiment, is the same one stole the presents!" Jack said.

"You think so?" Sora asked.

"Worth a shot." I said. We devised a plan and headed back to Christmas Town. I took time to notice my new clothes.I wore a white blouse with a midnight blue corset-styled top connected to pale blue braces by an ice blue diamond. At the center of the corset was a strip of powder blue ruffles with two diamond-shaped gold buttons. The bottom of the corset portion was zigzagged and lined in silver. Similarly zigzagged material was visible underneath the corset. It was backed by deep blue ruffles. At the collar was a midnight blue bow with a snow flake shaped gem in the center with two silver bell-shaped tassels hanging from it. A midnight blue skirt with light blue pinstripes, and dark blue ruffles lined the bottom. A light blue overlay, shaped like diamonds, with silver and white designs, was attached over the main skirt. Between the spaces of the overlay were gold snowflake and diamond designs, matching the gold piping towards the bottom of the skirt. Between each upper section was a silver bell-shaped tassel piece. On the left corner was a small silver diamond-shaped ornament hanging from the overlay. My heels became midnight blue ankle boots with indigo outsoles and heels, matching the cuffs of the shoes. Accents on the shoes were gold, while ice blue bows sits at the throat. The stockings included had different designs; the right was a pale and milky blue diamond check pattern while the left was a solid soft blue. My crown became a thick marine blue headband with a light blue chain printed on it with an electric pink bordered-marine blue star attached on every two chain intersections. Three connected gold-lined diamonds were attached to the left of the headband, with the side ones being light blue and the center one being marine blue. A smaller diamond could be found on the center diamond. It came with a pair of beaded earrings with a small golden diamond attached to both earrings; the left one being shorter with a marine blue diamond attached to the end, while the right one was longer with a silver chain extension and had a pink and blue star attached at the end(Look at Aikatsu; Winter Sprite Coord).

"Have you found the thief?" Santa asked.

"Almost, Mr. Claws!" Jack said. Jack told Santa his plan. At first, he wasn't sure about, but agreed this once. Our plan was; create a bunch of fake presents as bait, find a place to set the trap and then wait. We finished making the presents. Now the only problem left was to find a good enough place. Santa lead us outside to a plaza that was perfect.

"Jack... what exactly IS your plan?" Santa asked.

"I've got it all figured out." Jack said.

"You do..." Santa said, not convinced.

"Of course! And I also have a wonderful idea. If we catch the thief for you, I would be honored to deliver the—" Sora and I cut him off by covering his mouth.

"And on that note, we'll be going." Sora said.

"We'll try not to be long sir." I told Santa. We all pushed Jack to the plaza and saw a very large present. We all hopped in and closed it. Needless to say, it wasn't comfortable.

"Stop kicking!" Donald shouted.

"It's not me, Donald." Goofy said.

"Ow!" Veemon exclaimed.

"Patience, friends." Jack said.

"Hush!" I exclaimed.

"I said cut it out!" Donald snapped.

"Knock it off!" Gatomon exclaimed.

"Gawrsh, was that you?" Goofy asked.

"How come we have to be the bait?" Sora asked.

"Good plan, eh?" Jack asked.

"I hope this thief shows up soon, because I can't take much more of this." I said.

"Ouch!" Donald shouted. We went silent the second we heard clanging. It got closer and closer. The second it was right in front of us we jumped up, opening the present.

"Gotcha!" Sora said. That's when we saw it was some kind of machine.

"Dr. Finklestein's experiment did it!" Jack exclaimed. The experiment was strong and tricky. Whenever we manage to knock a body part off, that part became independent and attacked us along with the rest of the body. And when we'd dismantle it completely, all the body parts would attack. Then it would put itself back together in a different way. I pointed my Keyblade at.

"Icicle Storm!" I shouted. Thousands of tiny icicles hit the experiment. It fell to the ground and vanished. Santa rode in on his sleigh into the plaza.

"Did you catch the thief?" Santa asked.

"Naturally!" Jack said.

"It seems the doctor's moving puppet was the thief." I said.

"I just can't figure out... why the doctor's experiment would go around stealing Christmas presents." Sora said.

"Hmm... The doctor's made a moving puppet? I see... He is always tinkering with things. Now listen, Jack. I'd like to thank you, and while delivering presents is something only I can do, I can give you an idea of what it's like." Glee lit up Jack's face. He hopped in the sleigh and took off. "Yes, all that puppet wanted was a heart." Santa said. We went back to Halloween Town and explained to the doctor. He explained that he hadn't given the puppet a heart like Sally. He wasn't too upset about the puppet.

"Still, why steal presents if it wanted a heart?" Sora asked.

"Maybe because... presents are a way to give your heart to someone special." Sally said.

"That makes a lot of sense. I feel bad for the puppet." I said. That's when Jack appeared out of the sky and snow started to fall.

"What a nice present." Sally said. Jack was confused, but Sally explained what a present was.

"Ah yes. Santa asked me to give these to you." Jack said. He held out two small presents. "One was from him to a little boy and the other was given to him to give to you." One had Tai's name on and the other had mine. We left Halloween Town and headed off. I decided to wait and open them, especially since one was for Tai. I wondered how my little boy was doing?


	56. Overcoming Doubt and Fear

My Pov

We arrived back in the Pride Lands. All of our Pokémon had returned. I looked at my mane and saw the iris highlights were gone. I saw the hyenas running toward us. Simba had said their names were Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. They stopped and looked disappointed.

"Oh, it's you guys. Man, we were hoping you were a meal." Shenzi said.

"Hiya!" Sora greeted. Why was Sora being friendly to these guys?

"Don't gimme any of that 'hiya' stuff! Thanks to you clowns, we're back to scavenging scraps for a living." Banzai complained.

"C'mon, it's not that bad. I enjoyed that week-dead elephant we had yesterday." Shenzi said.

"How's Simba doing?" I asked. That's when all the of them burst into laughter.

"We gotta laugh every time we hear that dude's name." Banzai chuckled. They had a laughing moment and it was ticking me off.

"That's enough!" Sora snapped.

"Go on then, and see for yourself. Simba is one wishy-washy king." Shenzi said.

"Yeah. I bet about now, even some of those high and mighty lionesses were wishin' they'd gotten themselves a different king." Banzai said.

"Gawrsh, whaddya think coulda happened?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know, but let's find out." I said. We headed to Pride Rock and went into the king's den. Some of the lioness told us that Scar's ghost was causing Simba to cowardly. We saw Simba lying there.

"You came back..." Simba said.

"Are you okay?" Donald asked.

"You don't look so good." Goofy said.

"Hey, Simba. Why don't we team up and do something about that Scar's ghost?" Sora asked.

"Everyone's really worried about it. You're the king! You need to protect your pride from any threat." I said. Simba's expression turned from depressed to angry.

"That doesn't concern you!" Simba snapped. All of us stepped back, slightly scared. Simba apologized and wondered what his father would have done. We told him that he had to rule the way he would, not how his father ruled. Nala, Timon and Pumbaa all encouraged Simba to do the same. Simba realized it and decided to go after Scar's ghost.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Simba. I'm counting on you... and so is our baby." Nala said. Our faces lit up at the news that Simba and Nala were going to be parents. Simba advised to talk to Rafiki about the ghost. Rafiki told us that the ghost was haunting Simba because he was afraid. If Simba could get rid of his faer, the ghost would leave. We decided to pay a visit to the hyenas. It didn't take long to find them.

"Aw, c'mon, can't you guys just leave us alone?" Banzai whined.

"What do you three know about Scar's ghost?" Simba asked.

"Huh? Scar's ghost?" Shenzi asked.

"Maaaybe." Banzai teased. The three took off. It took awhile, but we caught them.

"Now, answer. What do you know about Scar's ghost?" I asked.

"Ooh, wait! It's coming back to me! That's the one that hangs out around fraidy cats. Right, Banzai?" Shenzi said. A whoosh sound came from behind and there was Scar's ghost. it taunted Simba and Simba actually ran away. We went back to Pride Rock, but he wasn't there. Timon suggested going to the oasis where they lived. We headed there and saw Simba being cornered by the ghost. We scared it off just as Simba was backed against a cliff.

"It's no use. I'll never be the king my father was." Simba said.

"That's kind of the point. You're suppose to be you, not your dad." I said.

"Yeah. That's not what you're suppose to be. Everyone believes in you as a king. They just want to see what you'll do." Sora said.

"And if they say they liked your dad better, it just means you need to try harder." I said.

"Stop moping and DO something!" Sora said.

"I can't!" Simba exclaimed.

"Let's go, guys." Donald said.

"Yeah. No point in helping if he won't even try." I said. We walked away, but Goofy didn't move.

"C'mon Goofy!" Sora called. We hid from sight and used my darkness to create an illusion of Scar's ghost. "A hesitant king will one day lose all his friends."

"King Simba the doubtful..." Donald said.

"Worried by a silly ol' ghost..." Goofy said.

"Simba, the do-nothing king..." I said in a low voice. Simba attacked the illusion and it disappeared. "Alright, Simba!"

"You conquered your doubt! Now it's time to take on the real thing." Sora said.

"You know... I really lucky to have friends who will stand by me, and help me see clearly. My father... wasn't so fortunate. Everyone in the Pride Lands wants me to succeed. Sora, Hikari, Donald, Goofy, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki... Nala. You all want what's best for me. But my father always had Scar lurking behind his back, trying to cut him down. I've got to make the most of my blessing, and rebuild this kingdom." Simba said.

"There's a huge gap between saying it and doing it." I said.

"Which are you gonna do?" Sora asked.

"Wait and see." Simba said. That's when Timon came running to us, saying the ghost was at Pride Rock. We hurried back and saw the ghost backing Nala and Pumbaa toward the cliff.

"Nala, we're here!" I yelled.

"Where's Simba?" Nala asked. Simba began walking toward the ghost and the 4 of us bowed our heads. The ghost walked up to Simba.

"Get out!" Simba snapped. The ghost vanished in an instant. That's when many streams of light and darkness began mashing together in the plains. "Are you with me?"

"Now and forever, your Majesty!" Sora said. We hurried to the plains and saw that a giant Heartless had been created. This Heartless was very strong and crafty, but with the use of agility and skill, we defeated the Heartless and it disappeared. Simba had finally taken his place as the king and now, hopefully, the Pride Lands would return to their original splendor.


	57. Atlantica

My Pov

We arrived back in Atlantica and it was hard for me and Sora to readjust swimming with tails. Both Veemon and Gatomon were Depthmon and Tylomon again. They too were trying to readjust. That's when I saw Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian swimming toward us.

"Sora! Hikari! Donald! Goofy!" Ariel exclaimed.

"Uh... hi there!" Sora said. Why did Sora sound all bashful?

"Hi, Ariel!" I greeted.

"Forget how to swim already?" Ariel asked.

"Kinda, I guess." Sora said.

"Den you all have to practice! You follow Flounder—he show you what to do." Sebastian said.

"Sora, Hikari, c'mon. You can do it!" Flounder said. After a little bit, we got the hang of it again.

"Well, we came here thinking something might be wrong, but everything seems peaceful." I said.

"It is... as long as Daddy's in a good mood." Ariel said.

"We have a concert coming up soon. Why don't you sing in my musical extravaganza?" Sebastian swam closer to me and Sora. "Please say yes! Ariel's been actin' strange lately. But she might settle down if you're dere, too." Sebastian pleaded.

"Sounds like fun!" Sora said. I was nervous. I never sang to anyone. Sebastian taught us how to dance and move with the beat and we decided to perform. Veemon and Gatomon used their attacks to add effects. We had done really well.

"Sora, Hikari, you were both amazing!" Ariel said. Ariel's face turned from happy to sad and she swam off. We looked and saw King Triton.

"Your Majesty! We have visitors!" Sebastian announced.

"King Triton!" Sora exclaimed.

"I hope there hasn't been any need to use those Keyblades of yours." Triton said.

"No, everything's quiet and peaceful." I said.

"You Majesty, our guests, dey wanna to sing in de musical." Sebastian said.

"Well, that sounds like a splendid idea." Triton said. King Triton explained that Ariel was still wanting to see the human world and the rehearsal could help keep her mind off it. However, Ariel couldn't put her heart into singing anymore that day. Flounder came to us and told us of a way to help Ariel. Flounder took us to the ship graveyard and showed us a statue. It looked like a prince. Using Magnet magic, me and Sora moved the statue and took it to Ariel's grotto. I went off to find Ariel.

"Ariel!" I called. She turned to me. "Come on! We have a surprise for you." I took Ariel to her grotto and we showed her the statue. Ariel gained heart again and began to sing.

 _"Look at this stuff_  
 _Isn't it neat?_  
 _Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?_  
 _Wouldn't you think I'm the girl_  
 _The girl who has everything?_

 _Look at this trove  
_ _Treasures untold_  
 _How many wonders can one cavern hold?_  
 _Lookin' around here you'd think_  
 _Sure, she's got everything_

 _I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty_  
 _I've got whozits and whatzits galore_  
 _'You want thingamabobs?'_  
 _'I got twenty'_  
 _But who cares?_  
 _No big deal_  
 _I want more_

 _I wanna be where the people are_  
 _I wanna see_  
 _Wanna see 'em dancin'_  
 _Walkin' around on those_  
 _Whad'ya call 'em?" Oh - feet"_ Ariel touched my shoulder, wanting me to finished. I imagined myself in her position, me as the mermaid princess and Riku as the human prince I longed to see again. The feeling rushed through and I sang with all my heart.

 _"Up where they walk_  
 _Up where they run_  
 _Up where they stay all day in the sun  
_ _Wanderin' free  
_ _Wish I could be  
_ _Part of that world"_

"Hikari, I had no clue you could sing like that." Sora said. I blushed. No one did. Sebastian had asked us to sing another song, to cheer Ariel up. But, Ariel wanted to sing a song about land and sea coming together and wouldn't sing at all unless she could. Ariel wanted us to see the prince she had saved. We went to the surface and saw him. We stayed hid until he left, but that's when something fell off him. It was a pendant. We tried to grab it, but it became wedged between two rocks. I used my Magnera magic and managed to get it. We went to Ariel's grotto to give it to her.

"Oh, Hikari, thank you! I know he'll be happy to have this back." Ariel said. That's when we were a terrifyingly familiar voice.

"And just who is this 'he'?" He turned to see a very angry King Triton. Sirena quickly swam behind me, shivering.

"Daddy!" Ariel exclaimed.

"Ariel, you know how dangerous the human world is! I'm going to get through to you. And if this is the only way..." Triton said. His trident began glowing. He was going to destroy the statue! "so be it!" A bolt came from the trident and destroyed the statue. Ariel swam out of her grotto in tears. We all swam after her.

* * *

Ariel's Pov

How could my father do that?! Why was he always trying to crush my dreams?

"Ariel, you poor child!" a voice exclaimed. I turned and saw Ursula. How was she here? Ursula told me that she could make me into a human for three days and if Eric kissed me, I would be a human forever. She gave me a contract. The price was my voice, but I felt it was a small price to pay.

"All I have to do is sign?" I asked. Ursula nodded. I could hear Sebastian and Flounder begging me not to do this, but this was the only way I'd see Eric again. I signed my name.

"Sora! Hikari! You've gotta stop her!" Sebastian cried. A vortex surrounded us and prevented them from reaching me. My voice suddenly floated out of my body and Ursula's captured it in her shell. That's when I felt a sharp pain in my tail and I couldn't breathe anymore. My vision faded as Sora and Hikari swam me toward the surface.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _The Keyblade bearers managed to get Ariel to the surface. There, the little mermaid was found and taken in by Prince Eric. Over the next several days, the group watched the couple, while looking for the sea witch. At the end of the second day, it seemed that Ariel and Eric would kiss, but Ursula's eels stopped them._

* * *

My Pov

It was the third day and still no sign of Ursula.

"Where is that witch hiding?" I happened to look and saw Ariel crying. "Flounder, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Ariel's been crying for a really long time..." Flounder said. That's when we heard Ariel's voice singing. We saw the prince with a woman and ducked under water. The prince looked hypnotized.

"What's wrong with the prince?" Sora asked. That's when I spotted the same shell that Ursula worn around the woman's neck.

"That girl has the same necklace as Ursula! That witch transformed herself into that girl and hypnotized the prince!" I exclaimed.

"Okay, that's enough!" Sora said. He and I pointed our Keyblades at Ursula and destroyed the shell. Ariel's voice was freed and returned to prince was freed and realized Ariel was the one he loved. However, the sun set and Ursula dragged Ariel underwater. We followed them and saw King Triton was there too.

"King Triton, a pleasure. I'd love to chat, but I have unfinished business with this mermaid... unless you want to take her place?" Ursula asked. King Triton raised his trident and erased Ariel's name and put his own. He became a shriveled creature and Ursula had the trident. That's when a harpoon zipped past us and grazed Ursula. We saw the prince.

"Eric!" Ariel cried.

"How dare you! Pitiful, insignificant human!" Ursula yelled. Flotsam and Jetsam went after Eric but we stopped them. Ursula then grew to the giant size she had been before. Just as before, both Veemon and Gatomon dealt with the eels. Both Sora and I leapt out of the water and struck Ursula and knocked the trident out of her hands. Eric then threw it toward Ursula and it went through her, killing her. After everything settled down, Eric still loved Ariel, despite her being a mermaid. We performed one final song and unlocked the last pathway. We then left Atlantica and headed back to Hallow Bastion.


	58. Restoring the Storybook

My Pov

We went back to Hallow Bastion and for some reason I felt something was wrong. I shook it off. probably just my imagination. I looked in my pocket and realized we had recovered all the pages that were ripped from Pooh's book.

"Sora, let's go restore Pooh Bear's book." I said. We headed back to Merlin's house. We got there and I saw only Merlin and Aerith were there. As soon as they saw me, they got quiet. "Merlin, we got back all pages from Pooh's book."

"Ah, wonderful! Let's just hope this will be the last time you need to search for the pages." Merlin said.

"Hikari, before you go, I made this pouch for you." Aerith said. She held out a orange pouch with a circle of blue, teardrop-shaped dots around a green heart and black crescent moon.

"Thank you, Aerith." I said. She gave me a white ribbon long and thick enough to tie the pouch to my waist. Me and Sora went into the book. frist place to reappear was Piglet's house. We walked down the path that led to Piglet's when a huge breeze came from behind us. Then a honey pot hit Sora in the head.

"Ouch!" Sora exclaimed.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. I wonder if Pooh's here..." Sora wondered. That when another gust of wind came from behind us. This time, it was carrying Piglet.

"Oh, help, help! Somebody save me!" Piglet cried.

"Piglet!" I yelled. Piglet caught hold of one of the branches of his tree.

"Hikari! Sora! Help! Please!" Piglet cried.

"Hold on little guy!" Sora yelled to him. We managed to get Piglet down and Pooh showed up. And, like before, Pooh said that he didn't know us. Then, another gust of wind came and swept Piglet off the ground. I countered the wind using Aeroga to bring Piglet back to the ground, but he instead landed on a tree branch.

"Piglet, jump! I'll catch you, don't worry." I said. Piglet jumped, but ended up jumping on Pooh instead.

"Oh, that was rather frightening. I do hope you're all right, Piglet." Pooh said. Pooh remembered Piglet's name!

"We're real happy for you guys." Sora said.

"And thank you for rescuing my friend Piglet, Somebodies-I-Don't-Know." Pooh said. He didn't remember us though.

"No problem..." I said sadly. We returned to the entry point and the next place to be brought back was Rabbit's house. We went there and started walking down the path. It was still pretty windy.

"Help! Help!" a voice cried. Where was that coming from? I happen to look up and saw a small blue bird falling. I ran forward, jumped and caught the bird before it hit the ground.

"Nice save, Hikari!" Sora said. I looked at the bird. It was a tiny blue bird.

"Thank you." the bird said.

"Are you hurt?" She shook her head. "What's your name, sweetie?" I asked.

"Kessie." the bird answered. That was cute name.

"Where's your family, Kessie?" Sora asked.

"I'm living with Rabby." Kessie said. Rabby? Did see mean Rabbit? I got off the ground and carried Kessie in my hand until we came to Rabbit who was frantically looking for something.

"Hi, Rabbit." I said. He didn't seem to hear me as he didn't stop to say hi.

"Kessie? Kessie, where are you?!" Rabbit cried.

"Rabbit, Hikari has her." Sora said. Rabbit looked and saw Kessie in my hand. I handed her back to him and he was so relieved. I was guessing that Rabby was 'Rabbit' and 'Daddy' put together. Rabbit explained how Kessie was found during the winter and Rabbit took her in. We explained Pooh's condition to Rabbit and sure enough Pooh and Eeyore showed up. Rabbit asked us to gather honey to help Pooh. We gathered about fifteen pots full and Pooh ate them all, but still didn't remember.

"After all that, and he still doesn't remember us." Rabbit said.

"Well, I hope you and Kessie will invite me over for lunch again soon, Rabbit." Pooh said.

"Pooh remembers! Pooh remembers!" Kessie cheered.

"Pooh, do you remember Eeyore?" Piglet asked.

"Oh, hello there, Eeyore. It's ever so nice to see you." Pooh said.

"Nice of you to notice me, Pooh Bear." Eeyore said. Sora pointed to himself and me.

"Yes, hello there, Somebodies-I-Don't-Know." Pooh said. Would Pooh ever remember us? We returned to the entry point and the next place to return was Kanga and Roo's house. Kanga had found some medicine that she thought might help Pooh. It was then something tackled me from behind. I found myself on my back with Tigger sitting on me.

"Tigger, you scared me." I said.

"Sure I did, Hikari. Tiggers are good at scarin'!" Tigger said. Tigger noticed the bottle Kanga was holding and took it. We caught up with him and explained Pooh's situation. Tigger suggested bouncing would help Pooh remember. While it was fun, it didn't seem to jog Pooh's memory. "Pooh boy not rememberin' me, takes the joy outta bouncin'..."

"Oh, but Tigger. I thought bouncing is what Tiggers do best." Pooh said. Tigger pounced on Pooh, happy and giddy again. Pooh also remembered Kanga and Roo. I just hoped he'd remember us soon. We again returned to the entry point and this time, the spooky cave returned. We headed there and saw everyone.

"What's going on?" Sora asked.

"Where's Pooh Bear?" I asked.

"It seems Pooh wandered into the deepest part of the cave." Owl said. We set out to search for him while, protecting the others. Soon, we found Pooh.

"We're so glad you're okay Pooh." Sora said.

"What were you doing here?" I asked.

"I was looking for two dear friends of mine that I remember I made a very important promise to." Pooh said.

"So, did you find them?" Sora asked.

"No. I've looked and looked, but they don't seem to be anywhere." Pooh replied.

"Try and remember, Pooh. Aren't Sora and Hikari the ones you're looking for?" Kanga asked. A strange, growling noise echoed.

"Oh no! The jagular!" Pooh exclaimed.

"No, it's just your tummy grumbling." Sora said.

"You just need to eat some honey." I said.

"I think you and Sora are, Hikari." Pooh said. He said our names! He remembers!

"Pooh, you finally remembered!" Sora exclaimed.

"Remembered what, Sora?" Pooh asked. I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Pooh Bear..." I mumbled.

"I like ever so much when you and Sora are cheerful, Hikari." Pooh said.

"Us too, Pooh." Sora said.

"Let's go home." I said. Me and Sora each took a hold of one of Pooh's paws and led everyone home. We went to the entry point one last time and the starry hill had returned. We went there and saw poor Pooh with a honey pot on his head. We hurried up to the hill and got the pot off him. Pooh told us that he wanted to find a way to make us stay in the 100 Acre Wood. We told him, that as long as he looked in his heart, he could see us anytime he wanted.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _Sora and Hikari departed from the 100 Acre Wood. The old, torn cover was replaced by a new one. Sora and Hikari were sitting on Starry Hill, looking at the moon. Pooh Bear sat in Sora's lap. Piglet and Roo sat in Hikari's lap, while Kessie was perched on her right shoulder._

* * *

My Pov

We got back and I remembered Aerith had been avoiding eye-contact with me.

"Aerith, are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes...but, Hikari. I'm afraid something's happened." Aerith said.

"What?" I asked. She swallowed and took a deep breath before answering. The next thing she said, had to be the worse thing I ever heard.

"The Organization has Yami and Tai." Aerith answered.


	59. Digital Heartless

My Pov

I stood there, paralyzed with shock. I felt Gatomon touch my arm.

"W-W-What did you just say?" I asked, wanting to believe I misheard her. Aerith couldn't repeat herself. That's when a loud boom came from outside. I was the first one to run outside. Gatomon followed behind. If it was a member of the Organization, I was going to tear their head off with my bare hands. Instead, I saw Heartless that were from Tron's world. I went in to my Master Form and destroyed all of them myself. I noticed some going to the postern and followed them. I destroyed the Heartless and notice the three girls from before.

"Liar!" Yuna scolded.

"Leon doesn't have any treasure!" Rikku exclaimed.

"And we fought for you guys." Paine said. I wasn't in the mood for these three. I walked past them.

"Hold on! We need to sort this out!" Yuna said.

"When you figure out a way, you can come talk to me. I have more important matters to deal with." I said. I went into Ansem's study and went to the computer room. I noticed that Larxene and Lexaeus were standing in front of the other door with their weapons at the ready. "Something wrong?" I was answered by Larxene throwing one of her knives at me and just missing me by an inch and ending up in the wall next to me. "I take that as a yes." I pulled her knife from the wall.

"Don't sneak up like that! With how many Heartless that machine's making, I strike whenever hear something." Larxene exclaimed. I gave her knife back.

"What machine?" I asked.

"The machine Xehanort had created. It creates Heartless, but something had taken over it and Heartless are being created at a dangerous rate." Lexaeus said.

"The Heartless look like they've come from Tron's world. So the MCP is the one sending them." I said. That's when I heard Sora's voice.

"Hikari, are you in here?" Sora called.

"We'll handle any Heartless that come through." Lexaeus said.

"Your friend Leon said something about a program to disable the MCP." Larxene said. They went down to the lower level. Sora and the others came into the computer room with Aerith.

"Who were you talking to?" Donald asked.

"No one." I said.

"Well, Cid told us that we needed to try and keep more Heartless from popping up here." Goofy said.

"Yeah, Tron may need our help." Sora said. Sora pressed the button and we found ourselves in the cell. I noticed my clothes were no longer my usual clothes. Ordinarily, it would have been a dark blue dress with thick metallic sections that line the outfit and sides, which have been cut out to reveal the sides of the stomach. Accenting it were thin, ice blue line details. At the center of the chest was a big shape resembling a snowflake or star, and on each side of the skirt are matching shapes. Around the waist was a white and silver belt with circles at the middle. Going down the center were small diamonds of cyan blue, and at the neck was a silver circle shape. It came with dark blue gloves with silver and ice blue accenting, a big pair of silver cuffs with blue diamonds, and simple bracelets. My shoes would've been white short boots with black on the bottom and around the ankle, with tiny gold diamond shaped studs. The opening of the boots were outwards. On my head was a silver headband with three blue diamond gems on it and one that hung in the center. It came with a blue diamond earring with metal shards hanging from it(Look at Aikatsu; Prism Cyber Coord). But, in Tron's world, my clothes were altered and my body was covered.

"I hope Tron's okay." Goofy said.

"He's probably at the Game Grid." I said. Sora pressed a button on the terminal and we found ourselves at the Game Grid. I saw Tron trying to fend off multiple Heartless.

"Tron!" Sora exclaimed.

"Careful...! Watch out!" Tron yelled. A Heartless shot a beam from behind Tron and knocked him off his feet. We defeated all of the Heartless and I used Curaga to heal Tron. We were teleported back to the cell. Tron explained the MCP was going all-out against the Users. We needed to head to the I/O Tower so that Tron could get an upgrade. We hurried there, fighting off the Heartless. Tron's Disk was upgraded and Tron gained new powers.

"What's it like?" Goofy asked.

"It's very strange..." Tron said.

"That's Merlin's magic!" Donald said.

"There's a power booster for me! And flight routines for the solar sailor!" Tron exclaimed.

"Meaning... we're set?" Sora asked.

"Well, like you Users say... we won't know till we give it a try!" Tron said. I wasn't paying any attention. All I could hear were those horrible words that Aerith told me. Taking my cousin and sisters was already crossing the line big time, but taking my baby... the remaining Organization members just sign their own death warrants. If they thought I was pissed to no end, they better pray Riku never finds out, if he already hasn't. And may God help them if Tai was hurt and we're both together, because I'm pretty sure no one in all the worlds will be able to stop us.

"Hikari, are you alright?" Tron asked.

"Fine! Let's get this over and done with!" I snapped. Sora grabbed my arm.

"Hikari, no reason to snap at him! I understand you're upset, but-" Sora said, but I cut him off.

"You understand nothing!" I yelled. Everyone backed up. I started crying. "Sora, unless you're a parent, you could never understand how I feel. A parent is suppose to protect their child, and yet I let him fall into the enemy's hands! I haven't spent enough time with him and I've dumped him on my sister! What kind of mother does that make me?!" Sora hugged me.

"Hikari, it's not as if you just handed him over to the Organization. They waited until defenses were down and Yami was vulnerable. Also, not being able to spent time with him and leaving him with Yami couldn't be helped. But anytime you were with him, you gave with all the love and attention you could. You're not a horrible mother, you're one of the best mothers I've seen." Sora said, his voice filled with honesty. Veemon held my hand and Gatomon climbed up to my shoulder and nudged my cheek. "I rubbed Gatomon's cheek.

"Sora's right Hikari." Veemon said.

"You're a wonderful mother." Gatomon said.

"Thanks Sora. Veemon. Gatomon. I needed that. Come on, we've gotta hurry!" I said.


	60. Sark & The MCP

My Pov

We hurried to hanger where the solar sailor was. We boarded the solar sailor, which surprisingly wasn't guarded by Heartless. Tron entered the coordinates and we set sail. I couldn't help but look over sides to see the scenery.

"You've got to keep a lookout. The MCP isn't going to let us just waltz in." Tron said. That's when several Heartless appeared out of nowhere and landed on the solar sailor.

"I see what you mean." I said.

"We have to get rid of them! The solar sailor won't be able to handle the extra weight." Tron said. We managed to get rid of the Heartless just in time. Soon, we came to a tall tower with a beam of red light shooting upward. "The MCP is just up ahead."

"Time to settle things for good." Sora said.

"He's been terrorizing the Users for too long." I said. We went into the tower and saw a spinning beam. That's when we saw a man.

"Who's that?" Sora asked.

"Sark. The MCP's number 2." Tron said.

"Tenacious little bugs! Your time is up. Prepare for de-resolution!" Sark exclaimed. De-resolution? Whatever that was, it couldn't be good. Sark wasn't really much of a challenge. "You're very persistent, Tron."

"I'm also better than you." Tron said.

"We... would have made a great team..." Sark said. Tron threw his disk at Sark and knocked him out.

"Now for the MCP!" Tron said.

"That thing is the MCP?" I asked.

"That's it. Ugly, isn't it?" Tron asked. Then the MCP began speaking.

"Tron... Don't you understand? We don't need Users. We've advanced— they're superfluous. Be part of me, and together this world will be ours to control!" the MCP exclaimed.

"MCP. You still don't get it, do you?" Tron asked. The block that was in the middle of the room stopped spinning and a wide face was staring at us.

"Sark... Sark! All my functions are now yours!" the MCP said. A beam went into Sark and he grew to a giant size. Mine and Sora's Digivices activated.

 _ **"Veemon armor digivolve to... Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"**_

 _ **"Gatomon armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"**_

I pointed Starlight at Sark.

"Data Drainer!" I shouted. I stole some of the power the MCP gave to Sark and became stronger. This also caused my clothes to change. Ordinarily, it would've been a pink, purple, and blue top that is very colorful and has many tiny yellow markings all over it. At the chest was a blue, wing-like shaped ornament, possibly a stretched out bow with diamond shaped markings in the center. It came with long blue gradient gloves with pink diamonds at the center of the hands, and a gradient blue choker with multiple colored diamonds. A blue skirt with dark blue gradient on the top and multiple petals of blue, pink, purple, and yellow lined in alternate colors and small parts of yellow cloth on each alternating, powder blue petal. My shoes would've been gradient blue and white knee length boots with dark blue on the bottoms and pink diamonds over the toe. On the top part of the boots were designs of pink, blue, and other color diamonds. On the left and right of the diamonds, there's a small teal wings. My headband would've been a sparkly blue, diamond pieced tiara with a single purple diamond in the center on top, and a gold section with a tiny pink diamond on the bottom. It came with blue shard earrings(Look at Aikatsu; Kaleido Mirror Coord).

"Hikari, look out!" Sora cried. Sark reached out to grab me, but I jumped back. We attacked Sark's legs and, when his legs gave, knocked him out with a blow to the head. We broke down one of the walls protecting the MCP.

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon excalimed. She fired a stone tablet from the light emitting from her back.

"Thunder Blade!" Raidramon exclaimed. The attacks combined and severely damaged the MCP. Finally, Sora, Tron and I delivered the final blow on the MCP, causing Sark to lose his powers and vanish. Raidramon reverted to Veemon and Nefertimon reverted this time to Salamon.

"We did it!" Tron exclaimed.

"I see Tron has a silly side, too." Sora said. Tron regained his usual composure.

"I learned it from you. Of course, I do have my silly limits." Tron said.

"Okay, then I'll tweak your system when I get back to the User world." Sora said.

"Oh dear." I said, shaking my head.

"You? Maybe we shouldn't try that." Tron said.

"Aww... how 'bout it, guys? Singin' Tron? Dancin' Tron! Sound good?" Sora asked.

"Yeah!" Donald said.

"Okay, okay, fine. But before I crash— Sora, Veemon, Hikari, Salamon, Donald, Goofy... and all the Users and Digimon out there... Thank you... You really helped me. You made me stronger. You taught me what friendship is truly all about. And I'll never forget it. As soon as I met you, I knew we were going to defeat the MCP and free the system." Tron said. Tron held out his hand for Sora. When Sora took his hand, Tron pulled him into a hug. Sora stammered, confused at what Tron was doing. "Isn't this what Users do when they're sorry to say good-bye?"

"Uhh... it's a first for me." Sora said.

"It's more a promise that you'll see each other again." I said.

"Okay. Well, then..." Tron hugged me, Donald and Goofy. "I promise." Tron said. Tron started backing away from us.

"Where are you going?" Sora asked. Tron simply waved and jumped into the opening where the MCP had been and vanished. We all looked in shocked. The entire tower began shaking as a bright light cloaked around us. We found ourselves back in the computer room. In the room was Zexion, Vexen, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Larxene, Yuffie and Aerith."

"You all made it back." Aerith said.

"Yeah..." I said sadly.

"What happened Hikari?" Vexen asked.

"Tron disappeared." Goofy said.

"He said, we'd see each other again, but..." Sora began, but that's when a beeping noise came from the computer. That's when a voice spoke. It was Tron.

 _"Greetings, friends. System is up , and ready for User input."_ Tron said.

"Tron!" the four of us exclaimed. Salamon and Veemon wagged their tails.

 _"Stay in touch."_ Donald ran and touched some of the keys, which seemed to tickle Tron. _"Hey, stop that! It tickles!"_ Tron said.

"Tron is ticklish?" Goofy asked. Sora instantly got a mischievous grin on his face and began pressing many keys.

 _"Please stop that!"_ Tron begged. I could only laugh and feel bad for poor Tron.

"Seems Tron has been around Sora too long." Zexion said.

"You could be around him for only a minute and his influence rubs off on you." Marluxia said.

 _"W-wait, just a moment. I want to show you something I dug up in the system achieves. You can see the town back when it was first built."_ Tron said. That's when I remembered. This place wasn't called Hollow Bastion. We all went outside.

"Sora, this place isn't called Hollow Bastion. It's real name is... Radiant Garden." I said. We left for Twilight Town, knowing that the Nobodies' world lay just beyond it.


	61. The Alternate Twilight Town

My Pov

We arrived back in the station of Twilight Town. My clothes had returned to normal.

"Hey! I think we're almost there!" Goofy exclaimed. We all looked at him. "Gawrsh, aren't we here because of the picture?" Picture? "Here, I'll show ya!" Goofy took a picture out of his pocket. We looked at it and I remembered.

"Yeah! Goofy's right!" Donald exclaimed.

"C'mon, let's go find this mansion!" Goofy said.

"That won't be too hard. We already know where it is." I said.

"Right, we spent a year there." Sora said. I thought about the present Santa had given me. I bet Riku left it for me. I took it out of the pouch Aerith made for me and opened it. It was a locket. It was a gold heart with a gold chain, with small pearls outlining the heart. Decorating it were three rubies, two under each arch of the heart and the other at the bottom of the heart, with three emeralds below the rubies and in the middle was a sapphire surround by a darker gold design(For a better idea, find Enchanted Tales/Golden Films; Princess Castle). I fastened the locket on my belt. We hurried to the woods and then to the mansion. When we got there, we saw Hayner, Pence and Olette unconscious on the ground. Goofy and Donald went to Pence, Sora went to Hayner and I went to Olette. "Hey, are you all right?" All of them started getting up.

"What happened to all of you?" I asked.

"We came here looking for Kairi and Kage. Then those white things attacked us..." Hayner said.

"You gotta be careful!" Donald said.

"Yeah, you guys didn't have to go and do that." Sora said.

"Of course we did. Kairi and Kage are our friends too, ya know." Hayner said.

"Yeah, they are." I said. We all looked to the mansion.

"Word is, this mansion gets a lot of really strange visitors." Pence said.

"We thought this place might be a gateway to some kind of alternate Twilight Town." Olette said.

"What do you mean, alternate Twilight Town?" Sora asked.

"Hey, Hikari, do you think we can see your and Sora's crystals?" Pence asked. I nodded and we took out our crystals. And Goofy took out the pouch.

"I made that pouch myself, and I still have it. So there shouldn't be two of them." Olette said.

"And this is the trophy Seifer gave you. You left it behind, remember?" Hayner asked. I took notice to the white and blue crystals on the trophy.

"It's the only one of its kind. Same with the crystals—red, blue, yellow, green and white—only one of each color. But you've got your own!" Pence said.

"So... where'd you get them?" Hayner asked.

"We got the pouch from Mickey shortly before we left. The crystals were inside it." I said.

"But then... where did MICKEY get it?" Pence asked. That is a good question.

"See? There's gotta be another town out there like this one. That would explain hoe Mickey got the pouch and the crystals. It makes sense." Hayner said. Sora and the others looked at each.

"It... does?" Sora asked.

"That other town must be where whatever's missing from here went!" Pence said.

"Like Kairi and Kage." Olette said.

"That makes sense." I said. There was a whoosh sound and we saw several Dusks had appeared. One went to attack, but Mickey appeared behind it and destroyed it.

"Watch out!" Mickey exclaimed. We quickly dealt with the Nobodies. I got somethin' to tell ya. I found out where Ansem is—Ansem the Wise! The real Ansem! He snuck into Organization XIII's stronghold."

"And we've figured out where Kairi, Kage, Yami and Tai are! I'm pretty sure we're right." Sora said.

"Yami and Tai are missing?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah, the Organization had them." I said. Mickey's reaction proved he had no clue.

"But... why are you here?" Mickey asked.

"Someone gave us a clue. Sora and I think it was Riku." I said.

"Well, if that' what ya think, then it's probably right." Mickey said.

"You mean Riku's okay!" Sora said.

"If that's what you think..." Mickey said.

"I've waited long enough, Your Majesty! Tell me what you know!" Sora demanded.

"It's not for me to say." Mickey said.

"But Your Majesty! Why?" Sora asked.

"I don't wanna break my promise." Mickey said.

"You made a promise to Riku!? So he's okay! We can see him again!" Sora exclaimed.

"That means Kudamon is okay too!" Veemon exclaimed.

"Huh? Who's Riku?" Hayner asked.

"Sora's best friend and... someone very important to me." I said.

"That's IT!" Pence exclaimed.

"Mickey? You got the pouch and crystals from Riku, didn't you? But you promised not to tell." Olette asked. We all hurried inside and found a secret passage leading to a computer room. The computer was protect by a password.

"I think the password is: Sea-Salt Ice Cream." I said. A beam came from the machine. The five of us stepped into the machine and we were teleported to what seemed to be the same room. That's when I saw several computers smashed to pieces.

"This is the other Twilight Town. Roxas and Nikko's Twilight Town." Sora said. I could see them smashing the computers with their Keyblades. We went into the next room and saw a portal in the corner. We went through it and found ourselves in a strange place. "Riku! Kairi! Kage!" Just then, several Dusks appeared. Even was the same as the first time we fought these things. When we knocked down one, three would pop up.

"Don't stop moving, or the darkness will overtake you!" a voice said. Axel, his BlackAgumon and the others appeared and destroyed several of the Dusks.

"Go!" Marluxia exclaimed.

"What?" I asked.

"Hurry!" Larxene exclaimed. Several more of Dusks attacked all of them.

"Get off them!" I destroyed the Dusks. "Are you all okay?" I asked.

"I kidnapped Kairi and Kage, but they got away from me. After that, Saïx caught them." Axel said.

"We know him." I said.

"Then go save them!" Vexen said. More Dusks appeared.

"Leave us alone!" Sora yelled. We managed to rid of many of them, but soon there was a swarm of them.

"I think I liked it better when they were on our side." Axel said.

"Having regrets, are we?" I asked.

"Not a chance." Zexion said.

"Seems there's only one way to get rid of this many." Lexaeus said. They all gave each other a look and nodded. Each of them became surrounded by their element and their was a blinding light. When the light faded, I saw all of the Dusks were gone. Then, I saw everyone, but Zexion and Axel had faded away. I ran to Zexion while Sora ran to Axel.

"Ienzo..." I said. Tears began welling up in my eyes.

"Hikari... even though my memories as Ienzo are faded, I do remember that you were my best friend." Zexion said.

"You'll be okay. I know you'll be okay. Xemnas lied to all of you about not having hearts. With the lesser Nobodies it's true. But with all of you, I sense something." I said.

"Really? Well, I hope that I can see you again one day. But not as Zexion. As Ienzo." Zexion said. He gave me a small smile and faded away. Tears fell from my eyes.

"Axel, why did you take Kairi and Kage?" Sora asked.

"I wanted to see Roxas and Nikko. They... were the only ones I liked... They made me feel... like I had a heart. It's kind of... funny... You guys make me feel... the same..." Axel said.

"Axel, did you take Tai and Yami too?" I asked.

"No, that was Xigbar. They're more than likely in the castle dungeon with Kairi and Kage. Go." Axel said. Axel used the last bit of his strength to open a portal for us before he and his partner faded away.


	62. The World That Never Was

My Pov

We stepped through the portal and found ourselves in the Nobodies' world. We looked up toward the castle and saw a large, heart-shaped moon. Salamon saw it too and I could feel her shaking.

"Axel said that Kairi and the others are in the dungeon." Sora said.

"Then we better find a way to get to that castle!" Mickey said. Mickey went ahead of us, while we made our way through the streets. All of a sudden-

"Sora!" Donald exclaimed.

"Hikari!" Goofy exclaimed. We turned and saw two Dusks and two Samurai Nobodies blocking Donald and Goofy.

"Donald! Goofy!" I cried. We ran to them, but the area warped from a quick second. That's when two members of the Organization appeared. In their hands appeared Oblivion and Devil's Darkness. Next to them were a FanBeemon and different colored Salamon.

"Keyblades?" Sora asked. One of them attacked Sora while the other attacked me. A light flash and I found myself at my Station of Awakening. Salamon and the different colored Salamon were battling.

"Who are you? Who was the other one?" I asked.

"We're just people from the dark..." the unknown said.

"Not really an answer." I said.

"Tell me, why does it have to be you!?" the unknown demanded. Whoever this was lunged at me. This time, she had Devil's Darkness and Angel's Light. We both jumped and attacked each other. I knocked her farther up in the air and she looked down. "I see. That's why." She came back down and smacked Starlight out of my hand. I ran to go get it, but whoever the girl was, she used Angel's Light to pin it down and pointed Devil's Darkness at me. I reached out for Starlight and it disappeared. "What?!" It reappeared in my hand and I slashed the unknown. Devil's Darkness and Angel's Light slipped for her hands as she stumbled forward, causing her hood to fall off. It was a girl about my age with snow white hair. Light started swirling around us. She turned around just in time for me to see she had amethyst purple eyes. "You make a good other."

"Nikko?" I asked. I found myself next to Sora in the Nobody world. Veemon and Salamon pawed at our legs.

"You make a good other." Sora said. I looked at Sora. The other person must have been Roxas. Donald and Goofy said that me and Sora just disappeared and they had to fight off Nobodies. "That guy... he said that he had defeated Riku..." What?!

"But nobody could beat Riku." Donald said. That was true. I had to remember that.

"Y...Yeah, that's right." Sora muttered. We headed toward the castle. I looked and saw my clothes had changed. A metallic indigo tank-top with silver material all over it, staring with the bottom of the shirt. Connected to it were two curvy bands of silver that stretch towards the back and connect to the silver lining beneath the chest. Across the top of the chest was a thick silver band with a single sapphire gem in the center, surrounded by thin design lines. Attached to the right side of the shirt was a thin silver strap with a single ruffled dark blue sleeve. It was lined with a lighter blue with semi-faded spots and markings all over it to resemble the evening sky. Thin amounts of silver line the bottom. On the torso of the shirt were two silver bands held by two buttons. It came with a single, elbow-length metallic indigo glove with silver cuff and a silver collar with a short glittering powder blue cape sewn on the back. A pleated skirt of indigo, purple, dark blue, and light blue. The skirt was uneven in length with the left side appearing longer. The skirt was lined in silver and printed all over it are thin faded wisps and dots, making it resemble the evening sky. On my feet were metallic indigo boots with silver toe and heel to match the cuff on top. Around each ankle was a thick silver band adorned with small light blue gems. A silver headband with three sideway light blue diamonds on it. Hanging from the center is a single light blue diamond. It came with a single light blue diamond earrings attached to a silver dot. Shards of metal hang from the diamond(Look at Aikatsu; Milky Way Cosmic Coord).

* * *

No one's Pov

 _Inside the castle's dungeon, the Princess of Heart, the Princess of Kingdom Hearts' sister, Heartless, child, Experiments 626, 177 and King Mickey's dog all just sit and wait. Viximon tried to comfort Nyaromon while Xiaomon tried to comfort Kairi. Yami had explained to Kairi about Tai and, surprisingly, she wasn't angry toward Riku. They heard footsteps and went to the doors of the cell. It was Saïx. Pluto, _Xiaomon, Viximon, Nyaromon_ , Stitch and Clip were hissing and growling._

 _"What are you going to do to us?" Kairi asked._

 _"Saïx, if you actually want to live to get a heart, then you better let us leave." Yami said._

 _"The second you run into Hikari, she'll send you back into the deepest abyss of darkness!" Kage exclaimed._

 _That's what I'm hoping for. All of you are the fire that feeds Sora and Hikari's anger." Saïx said. Saïx then turned and left them._

 _"No... Sora and Hikari are in danger, because of us..." Kairi said, despaired._ _Pluto, Xiaomon, Viximon, Nyaromon, Stitch and Clip_ _began yapping. The girls turned to see a portal form. Inside the portal was Naminé, Kairi's Nobody. With her was her Kyupimon._

 _"Naminé, you're all right!" Kage exclaimed._

 _"This way! C'mon, hurry!" Naminé urged. Kairi took Naminé's hand, which created a small light. Outside the castle, the light is seen by Sora and Hikari. They point their Keyblades toward the light, which creates the path leading into the castle._


	63. Ansem the Wise

No one's Pov

 _Naminé led them down flights of stairs, trying not to be detected. However, as they ran, Naminé's form began fuzzing up. Before any of the girls could ask, Naminé stopped. They soon realized why as there two Berserk Nobodies and Saïx blocking their path. Their Digimon began to growl at the Nobody._

 _"I'm sorry, but leaving is not an option." Saïx said. Saïx held out his hand. "I'll take you to Sora and Hikari." Everyone took a step back. "You don't want that?"_

 _"I've want to meet Hikari ever since I was reborn." Kage answers._

 _"I do. More than anything. But not with you around." Kairi said. Each one of them got into the position to fight._

 _"If I had a heart, this would be where I die of laughter." Saïx mocked. That when both Berserk Nobodies suddenly vanished. Saïx knew who it was, despite his face being hidden. "You... Didn't Roxas and Nikko take care of you?"_

 _"You can take it from here, Riku." Naminé said. Kairi looked at her Nobody, wanting to make sure she heard her right._

 _"Riku?" Kairi exclaimed. Kairi looked at the hooded man. The Keyblade disappeared from the man's hand as he shot a Dark Firaga toward Saïx. Even though Saïx dodged it, the man grabbed him and pushed him against a wall. Saïx however escaped through a portal and the man went to follow him. "Wait!" The man paused. Before he could take a step forward, both Stitch, Clip and Pluto backed him away from the portal. "Riku... you're really here..." Kairi removed his hood, but instead of Riku, she saw Ansem, Xehanort's Heartless._

* * *

My Pov

We made our way through the castle and came to the Hall of Empty Melodies. I heard Saïx's voice. Veemon and Salamon were both growling at him.

"Sora... Hikari... you've done well." Saïx said. We looked up to see him.

"What have you done with my sister? With my baby!?" I demanded.

"Where's Kairi? Where's Kage?" Sora asked.

"I assume they're catching up with their friend from the darkness." Saïx said.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"They don't need you anymore." Saïx said.

"Like we'll believe that." I said.

"Well, you don't have to... But you can believe this. Organization XIII has further use for either of you... Just look there. Our Kingdom Hearts... Thanks to you both, we've collect countless hearts... Can you hear there euphoria?" Saïx asked.

"That's not Kingdom Hearts and you know it!" I exclaimed.

"Hmph. All they need now is one last helping from their Princess!" Saïx exclaimed. He snapped his fingers and multiple swarms of Heartless appeared.

"Sora! Hikari!" a voice called. We looked up and saw two girls. It was Kairi and Kage! I saw a Nyaromon and Kairi's Labramon.

"Sora! Hikari! It's really you!" Kage exclaimed, happily.

"Veemon! Salamon!" Labramon said.

"Kairi! Kage!" Sora exclaimed. Heartless came from behind us and jumped on us. I could hear Kairi's voice.

"You leave Sora and Hikari alone!" Kairi yelled. I couldn't hear what else was going on.

* * *

Mickey's Pov

I hurried through the castle, trying to locate Ansem the Wise. I soon saw three Dusks hovering over someone. I came got rid of them and made sure the person was alright. It was DiZ! He slowly lifted himself up and removed the bandages covering his face. It was Ansem the Wise.

"It's been too long, my friend." Ansem said.

"Ansem the Wise. Why didn't you come to me before things got so bad?" I asked.

"Xemnas, the Organization's Superior, is the Nobody of Xehanort, my foremost apprentice. The burden was mine to bear." Ansem said.

"Is that all?" I asked.

"I won't deny there was more." Ansem said.

"You won't?" a voice asked. We both turned to see Yami, who was holding Tai. Next to her was her Renamon.

"Yami! I'm glad to see you, Renamon and Tai aren't hurt." I said.

"Yeah." She then looked to Ansem. "What else was there?" Yami asked.

"I was... obsessed with thoughts of revenge. My apprentices stole everything precious to me— my research, and my pride." Ansem said.

"I can't help you with revenge." I said.

"I can't either." Yami seconded.

"I know. Riku's told me a thousand times." Ansem said.

"Where's he now?" I asked.

"With Hikari and the others." Yami said.

"Riku was a great help to me. I found him wandering the darkness, after you, the others and he lost track of each other." Ansem said.

"Gosh, we didn't exactly lose each other. Riku left... well, 'cause Xehanort's Heartless was still inside his heart, troubling him. And he sure must've been suffering. But what I don't understand is why he looks like that now, when he's Riku at heart..." I said.

"I am to blame." Ansem said.

"How?" Yami asked.

"When I met Riku the first time he still had the appearance of a boy. Probably because he had such a strong heart. I asked him to find a young man named Roxas and a young woman named Nikko from Organization XIII, and bring them to me When I told him it would help wake Sora and Hikari from their slumber, Riku left without a word. He fought Roxas and Nikko. And I can only surmise Riku lost that fight. Riku must have realized: to fight in the realm of darkness, he would have to immerse himself in that same darkness. And when he did... you both saw what became of him. When Riku brought Roxas and Nikko to me, he was introducing himself... as Ansem. If that's what it took to awaken his friend and the girl he loved, he was ready to live in darkness. Riku was the victim of my revenge. ...Oh, how my heart ached. I could only laugh to hide my shame." Ansem said.

"I guess it musta been after that when I saw Riku again. He said he wanted to help Sora and Hikari... but he made all of us promise— Promise that Sora and Hikari wouldn't ever find out about what happened to him while he was out in the darkness." I said.

"One thing doesn't make sense, though. You told him, me and everyone else involved that Hikari would never wake up." Yami said.

"Yes. I was as surprised as everyone else when the rogues told me. I never would have told anyone horrible news such as that. if I didn't believe it myself. Especially Riku. When I told him the first time, the pained and destroyed look in his eyes caused me to try and find a way, but I could not." Ansem said.

"Then, how did Hikari wake up? Was it Nikko reuniting with her?" I asked. Ansem shook his head.

"Nikko reuniting with her was only the final push she needed. Really what did it, was love." Ansem said.

"Love?" Yami asked.

"The love she has for Riku, Sora, Kairi, those she's lost, everyone around her and the love they all have for her. That was what helped her awaken. Unknowingly, everyone who cares for Hikari called out to her in their hearts. Those calls are what brought her soul from the realm of darkness and allowed her to awaken." Ansem said.

"Gosh, I never thought the bond between Hikari and everyone else was that strong." I said.

"Love is the greatest power of all Mickey." Yami said.

"My friend, the time has come. I must make amends to these young people." Ansem said. He picked up the strange machine he had and began walking. I helped him while Yami walked next to me.


	64. The Real Reunion

My Pov

Sora and I managed to push the Heartless off of us. We looked up to the balcony to see Kairi, Labramon, Kage, her Nyaromon, Ansem, his and his Kudamon fighting off Heartless. Wait, that was Riku! He was here!

"What's going on!?" Sora asked. A red shard of light shot close to us. We looked up and saw hundreds of them, none hitting us and destroying the Heartless. Then, I heard Xigbar's voice.

"Have you been a good boy and good girl?" Xigbar asked.

"Xigbar, show yourself!" I demanded. He appeared on a balcony above us.

"Oh, sounds like you haven't. Sora! Hikari! Roxas! Nikko!" Xigbar said.

"Roxas? Nikko? Hey, did he just call us Roxas and Nikko?" Sora asked.

"You've both really put Organization XIII in a pickle. I guess that's why the Keyblades chose you. But MAN, when it comes to Sora, it picked a dud. You don't even look half the hero the others were." Others? Did he mean, Ven, Van, Terra and Aqua? As if reading my mind, Xigbar began laughing. "Yeah Princess. I mean those three that you miss so much, including that evil clone of Sora." Xigbar said. I clenched my fist. He knew what happened to them.

"Are you done rambling?" Sora asked.

"Rambling? As if! All I'm trying to tell you, traitors, is that your time is up!" Xigbar exclaimed. He summoned his Arrowguns.

"Here he comes!" Goofy exclaimed. I had to admit, he was strong. Then again, his element was Gravity. It felt like forever before we finally defeated him.

"Why did you call us Roxas and Nikko?" Sora asked. Xigbar laughed.

"Wouldn't you like to know..." Xigbar said. He vanished.

"Wait!" I yelled.

"Sora! Hikari! It's Kairi and Kage!" Donald exclaimed. Donald pointed up to them.

"Girls, we're on our way!" Sora said. We hurried up various stairs and hallways and finally made it to them.

"Kairi! Kage!" I called. They both turned and looked at me.

"Hikari!" Kage ran to me and jumped. I managed to catch her and she latched onto me. "After all this time, I finally get to meet you!" Kage cried.

"I'm happy to see you again too, Shadow." I said. She giggled. I put her down and turned my attention to my cousin. Salamon and Labramon chased each other around a little.

"Hikari! It's you! You've gotten so beautiful." Kairi said. I blushed.

"So have you Kairi. I barely recognized you." I said. She blushed. I stepped out of the way so her and Sora could talk.

"You are different, Kairi, but I'm just glad you're here!" Sora said.

"You, Riku and Hikari never came home, so I came looking for you." Kairi said.

"I'm sorry." Sora apologized. I rolled my eyes and gently pushed Sora toward Kairi. That caused him to embrace her, which neither of them minded. Veemon wrapped his arms around Labramon's neck while she wrapped a paw around him.

"This is real..." Kairi whispered. I couldn't help but tear up a little. I saw a portal appear behind 'Ansem' and he went toward it.

"Wait, Ansem! I mean, Xehanort's Heartless... I never thought for a second that I'd ever see YOU again. Just thinking about all the things you did makes me really mad. But... But you saved Kairi and Kage, right? I have to grateful for that... Thanks." Sora said. 'Ansem' began walking again, but I ran to him and grabbed his arm. Salamon jumped onto Kudamon.

"Riku, don't leave again!" I begged. I heard gasps of confusion from behind me.

"Hikari, what did you just say?" Sora asked.

"Riku." I repeated. Riku tried to break free from my grip.

"I'm no one— just a castaway from the darkness." Riku said. I turned to Sora and Kairi.

"Guys, please! Say something to him!" I begged. Kairi pushed Sora to us. She took his hand and place it and hers on top of mine.

"Close your eyes." Kairi said. We all did and we saw the real Riku. We opened our eyes and Sora fell to his knees.

"Riku... It's Riku. Riku's here... We looked for you..." Sora cried. Veemon hugged Kudamon while Labramon nuzzled him.

"Come on, Sora. You've gotta pull it together." Riku said. Riku's voice! It was back to normal.

"Hikari and I looked everywhere for you!" Sora exclaimed.

"I didn't want you to find me." Riku said.

"But it was him that was helpin' us, wasn't it?" Goofy asked.

"Huh?" Donald asked.

"All those clues we kept finding. That musta been Riku." Goofy said. Sora got to his feet.

"I was starting to worry you guys would never catch on. Sora and Hikari never did pick the brightest friends."

"What do you mean by that!?" Donald angrily asked.

"Why didn't you let me, or at least Hikari know that you were okay?" Sora asked.

"Sora, back when we were at Isla de Muerta the first time, Riku had appeared on the ship." I said.

"What!? Why didn't you tell me?" Sora asked.

"I asked her not to. I didn't want you to see me like this. I couldn't. I fought with Ansem. With... Xehanort's Heartless— when it invaded my heart, and I won. But to use the power of darkness, I had to become Ansem myself." Riku explained.

"Does that mean... you can't change back?" Kairi asked.

"This battle isn't over. Until it is, I still need the power of darkness." Riku said.

"Then we'll finish it together! You're still Riku, no matter what." I said.

"So how 'bout it: Think we can handle one last rumble together?" Sora asked.

"Yeah! Let's get going!" Donald said.

"Wait, where's Yami and Tai?" I asked.

"They're with Mickey, don't worry." Kage said. I sighed, relieved to know that they were safe. We made our way toward the balcony where they were and found ourselves in the Proof of Existence. I took notice to the shattered gates. There was a red picture in front of them with names; the Freeshooter, the Whirlwind Lancer, the Chilly Academic, the Silent Hero, the Cloaked Schemer, the Flurry of Dancing Flames, the Melodious Nocturne, the Graceful Assassin and the Savage Nymph. That's when I noticed two other gates were shattered, but the light on them was blue; Key of Destiny and Twilight Angel. That's when I realized that these names were to the members of Organization. The only gates still open were the Luna Diviner and the Gambler of Fate.


	65. The Gambler and Diviner

My Pov

We went into the Gambler of Fate gate. We came to an open balcony and saw a beam shooting to 'Kingdom Hearts'.

"What's that?" Sora asked.

"It's the King and DiZ— I mean, Ansem the Wise. They must be higher up. We better hurry." Riku said. When me and Sora were far enough from the others, Luxord appeared and snapped his fingers. Giant cards surround the others and when they separated, the others were gone.

"What did you do!?" I demanded.

"Defeat me and your friends will return." Luxord said. Luxord was tricky, since his element was Time. He would use any chance we got he'd turn into a game and if we lost, we'd be turned into dice or cards. Finally, we managed to attack him and finished him. I went to deliver the last blow. He tried to protect himself by summoning cards to act as a barrier, but I sliced right through them.

"Looks like your time is up." I said. He gasped for air.

"How could you and Roxas do this... Nikko..." Luxord said.

"That's SORA and HIKARI!" Sora yelled. Luxord vanished and several cards slid across each other, revealing the others.

"Are you both okay?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah! No need to worry. Let's go." I said. We went back into the Proof of Existence. The last one left was Saïx, the Luna Diviner. We went through the gate and saw Saïx standing, looking at the heart-shaped moon.

"Only you and Nikko could have made it this far in one piece... Roxas." Saïx said.

"Okay, I'm really tired of that!" I shouted.

"It's getting really old!" Sora exclaimed. Donald and Goofy stood in front of us and held out their arms.

"Yeah! They're Sora and Hikari!" Donald exclaimed. Saïx held up his weapon.

"Different names, same fate." Saïx said. He swung his weapon, causing a huge wind to blow. We held our ground, however, Riku shielded Kairi and Kage from the blast and they were knocked behind a barrier. "Can you feel it, the moon's power?"

"The moon?" I asked. Oh no. Saïx's element was the moon.

"Moon, shine down!" Saïx exclaimed. He went into his Berserk Mode. He relentlessly attacked us and it was only when he threw his weapon at us did we have a chance. Either me or Sora would grab it and use a Berserk attack of our own which would then knock Saïx out of his Berserk Mode. I pointed Starlight at Saïx.

"Starry Spiral!" I shouted. A spiral of stars surrounded him and fell down and destroyed him. Saïx limped to the window.

"Why... Kingdom Hearts... Where is my heart?" Saïx asked. Saïx lifted his hand to the moon and vanished. Riku, Kage and Kairi came up to us.

"Why is everyone calling us Roxas and Nikko?" Sora asked.

"Because Sora. Roxas is your Nobody and Nikko is Hikari's Nobody." Riku said.

"Our... Nobodies? But that's crazy, me and Hikari never turned into Heart... Oh, right." Sora said, realizing.

"It was when you came to rescue me, remember?" Kairi asked.

"And when Hikari protected Riku from Maleficent." Kage said.

"Yeah, I remember." I said. I placed a hand on my chest. I could almost feel the searing pain I felt when that fireball hit me.

"Xemnas is the one who found them. They could use the Keyblades because they were your Nobodies. That' s why Xemnas brought them into the Organization— But they betrayed them. After that I fought them because I thought it would help you two wake up. I lost, but the next time we met I made sure I was the stronger one. Maybe I didn't need to fight them after all. I think they left the Organization because... they really wanted to meet you guys." Riku said.

"Roxas... Nikko... I wish we could meet them too." Sora said.

"Sora, we kinda did. They were the people that fought us before." I said.

"So that's who they were." Sora said. We hurried up toward the next area. I saw Yami, Mickey and who I guessed was Ansem the Wise.

"Yami! Mickey!" I yelled.

"Sora, Hikari, the rest is up to you... and Roxas and Nikko— I doubt you 2 can hear— but... I am sorry." Ansem said.

"Ansem!" Mickey yelled.

"My heart is telling me what I must do. Please allow me to do what it says!" Ansem pleaded.

"No!" Riku grabbed his arm. "Riku!" Mickey exclaimed.

"His heart's decided. We can't change that." Riku said. A whoosh noise came from next to Ansem. It was Xemnas.

"I was wondering who would dare mess with my Kingdom Hearts. And look— here you all are. How convenient fro me. Ansem the Wise... you look pathetic." Xemnas said.

"Have your laugh. I deserve as much for failing to see you for the fool you are." Ansem said.

"Students do take after their teachers. Only a fool would be your apprentice. After all, none of this would have happened without you. YOU are the source of all Heartless. It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared." Xemnas said.

"I admit...my disregard brought chaos to more worlds than one. But what were YOU seeking? You erased me from the world, only to take my name and continue research better left forgotten... Is this the answer you've been looking for?" Ansem asked.

"All that and more. I'm carrying on what you yourself began, and I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time. I thought you'd praise me, but all you ever do is hold me back. I understand, though. Unlike me, you have a heart. And you're powerless to control it. Consumed, by the jealousy you feel toward the student who surpassed you." Xemnas said.

"Xehanort. Foolish apprentice of a foolish man. You have surpassed nothing— only proving how little we both know. We may profess to know the heart, but its essence is beyond our reach." Ansem said.

"Ansem..." I said.

"That is why you and your creation are destined to fall! We've said enough! Riku, you know what to do! King Mickey, my friend, forgive me. Farewell!" Ansem exclaimed. The machine Ansem had exploded. Sora and I tried to go help Ansem, but Riku held us back. A pillar of light erupted and a strong force began pushing us all back. I shield Yami, Tai and Kage from it as light cloaked us all. I woke up to Tai's whining. I looked and saw I had him in my arms.

"Shh... honey, it's okay." I said. His whining turned into whimpers. I turned to Yami and Kage. "You okay?" They both nodded. Tai started struggling as he was reaching in a direction. I looked and saw- "Riku!" I ran to him. He groaned and struggled to lift himself up. He had changed back.

"Riku!" Sora and Kairi exclaimed.

"Ansem did say 'anything can happen'." Mickey said. Riku got to his feet.

"Riku, aren't you going to take off your blindfold?" I asked. He pulled off the blindfold and opened his eyes. I mentally sighed. I had missed his beautiful eyes.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

"His eyes couldn't lie..." Mickey said.

"Lie?" Kairi asked.

"Who were you trying to fool?" I asked.

"Myself." Riku answered.

"C'mon, man! You gotta stop trying to do things on your own! You've got friends on your side." Sora said. He took a look at everyone and then at me and Tai.

"Have you forgotten? I'll tell you why. 'Cause I'm not a total sap like you." Riku joked. I stifled my laugh. There was my Riku.

"Say that again!" Sora dared. A humming noise came from behind us. We looked and saw hundreds of Heartless making their way into the castle.

"We need to defeat Xemnas. It won't end until we do." I said. Riku removed his cloak and revealed his new clothes.

"Come on!" Riku said. I handed Tai to Yami and we made our way forward.


	66. The Nobody Leader

My Pov

We had made our way through the castle and soon came to the last hall. However, there was no path connecting the small areas.

"How are we suppose to cross?" Kairi asked. I thought. I stepped back and then jumped, revealing sparkling tiles.

"It's okay." I said. They followed me. Several Nobodies jumped toward me.

"Hikari!" Yami shouted. The Nobodies disappeared. It was Stitch and Clip!

"Stitch! Clip! You're both okay." I said. We hurried and made our way to the door.

"Sora! Hikari! Riku! Kairi!" Kage cried. We all stopped and saw Kage pointing toward the windows. Nyaromon was slightly whimpering and crouching behind Kage. We saw Heartless pouring from them and landing on the paths.

"There's going to be no end to this." Riku said

"Together we can stop 'em!" Sora said. Before we could, Maleficent and Pete appeared in front of us.

"Be gone from here! Leave these creatures to us!" Maleficent exclaimed.

"But there's no way we can take 'em all!" Pete exclaimed.

"I will be sending them after Xemnas. Or, perhaps, you would rather fight them yourself?" Maleficent asked.

"Frankly my dear, I'd rather... RUN!" Pete exclaimed.

"Off with you then!" Maleficent scolded. Pete looked at Mickey.

"Well, if it ain't the boat-boy king." Pete scoffed.

"Time to weigh anchor, Captain Pete!" Mickey said.

"What, like 'abandon ship'? I don't think so!" Pete said.

"Sora! 'Your Highness'! 'Your Majesty'! Do not forget— when I have destroyed then all, this castle shall be mine!" Maleficent declared.

"Now lookie here. Opportunities like this don't come along every day, ya know." Pete said. Pete went back to Maleficent's side and they charged toward the Heartless. We hurried to the Alter of Naught and saw Xemnas staring at the destroyed Kingdom Hearts.

"Ohh... my Kingdom Hearts... ruined. Now I'll have to start all over again." He turned to us. "Warriors of the Keyblade and Princess of Kingdom Hearts! Go forth, and bring me more hearts!" Xemnas ordered.

"No!" the four of us exclaimed. Each of us pointed our Keyblade at Xemnas in defiance. Veemon, Kudamon, Labramon and Salamon were all growling.

"Denizens of light, answer this: Why do you hate the darkness?" Xemnas asked.

"Aw, we don't hate it. It's just kinda... scary. But the world's made of light AND darkness. You can't have one without the other, 'cause darkness is half of everything. Sorta makes ya wonder why we're scared of the dark." Mickey said.

"It's because of what hides in it." I said.

"Then allow me another question. You accept darkness, but choose to live in the light. So why is it you loathe us who teeter on the edge of nothing? We who were turned away by both light and dark— never given a choice?" Xemnas asked.

"That's simple. Because you mess up our worlds and hurt those we love to further your goals." Riku said.

"That may be... However, what other choice might we have had?" Xemnas asked.

"Just give it a rest already! You're Nobodies! You don't even exist! You're not sad about anything!" Sora yelled. Xemnas laughed.

"Very good. You don't miss a thing. I can not feel— sorrow... No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think, what you feel, or how you exist." Xemnas said. Streams of light went upward and I had to cover my eyes. When I opened my eyes, I saw everyone was gone and I was in a alternate version of the world.

"Guys, where are you?" I called. My clothes had changed too. I now wore a lilac tank top with a golden design below the chest, which was one big gem section with a smaller golden piece of jewelry above it with tiny purple gems. Near the bottom was an ice-blue bow or gem with tiny shiny spots/gems going around in a circle, with more gems making up the bottom. The purple sleeves were off the shoulder and lined with gold detailing, giving them a sharp, winged design. The tank top was attached to a sharp white choker by very tiny gold strings. It came with blue gradient style gloves with purple coloring and gems. A flowery-pleat skirt that was a mixture of pale lilac, pale yellow, purple, and bright blue. All of which gave it a glittery texture. Near the bottom were thin gold line details, while nearing the middle is a blue band decorated with many blue shaped diamonds. On my feet were lavender boots that slowly shift to indigo on the upper-leg. Thin gold designs detail the bottom with a row of crystal diamonds connected by a smaller gem around the top. Small diamond crystal shards hang from every bigger diamond. The heel was gold and across each foot is a row of small diamonds My tiara became a small gold crown with a small blue gem design around the middle of each piece that sticks up. In the center was a crystal diamond surrounded by tiny purple diamonds. It came with a pair of diamond shard earrings that come in a gradience of clear, blue, purple, and pink. Sprouting from my back were wings resembling shards of ice and were mainly purple with crystal coloring on the ends. Where they connected to the back was a small silver wing shape with several blue diamonds above it(Look at Aikatsu; Crystal Aquarius Coord).

"Seems you have almost fully awoken your powers." Xemnas said.

"What's it to you?!" I snapped.

"If you are this powerful, I wonder how strong the infant is?" Xemnas asked, smirking.

"You... stay... away... from... MY BABY!" I screamed. I relentlessly attacked Xemnas. He was powerful, I'm not gonna lie. I used my wings and flew out of reach. My wings glowed as diamond shards came out of them. "Rain of Tears!" Thousands of shards shot toward Xemnas. He block some of them, but the rest hit him. I delievered the final blow with my Keyblade. Xemnas vanished, but I knew it was over yet. My clothes returned to normal. I took my tiara off my head and put it in my pouch.

"Hikari! Where are you?" Kage called. I looked around and light began cloaking me. A portal opened underneath and I fell through.

"Hikari, answer me!" Riku cried. I ended back at the Alter of Naught. Everyone ran to me. Veemon and the others ran to Salamon to make sure she was okay.

"You're okay!" Mickey exclaimed.

"Where's Xemnas?" I asked. We looked up and saw he was close to 'Kingdom Hearts'.

"Hear me, Kingdom Hearts! It seems we must begin anew. Ah, but know this: I will give you as many hearts as it takes. Mark my words! You can no more be complete without me than I without you. Heed me, Kingdom Hearts! Lend me your power, so that we may be complete! The power to erase the fools that hinder us." Xemnas said.

"Xemnas, no!" Mickey yelled.

"Hearts quivering with hatred..." Xemnas said.

"Xemnas! Don't!" Sora yelled.

"Hearts burning with rage..." Xemnas said.

"You'll never win!" Donald exclaimed.

"Hearts scarred by envy... That fool Ansem said the heart's true nature was beyond his understanding. But it's not beyond mine! Hearts are the source of all power!" Xemnas exclaimed. 'Kingdom Hearts' glowed so brightly we were all forced to cover our eyes. When we opened our eyes, Xemnas was gone.

"Xemnas, quit hiding!" I yelled.

"He can't escape now!" Yami said.

"Look at that!" Kairi exclaimed. We looked and saw a door appear. The worlds summoned this door for us. We used our Keyblades and opened the door.

"Xemnas, this stops now!" I said.


	67. Final Battle

My Pov

We all entered through the door and found an alternated Nobody world. From a distance, I could see Xemnas.

"So... it seems your hearts have led you to obliteration. Perhaps it doesn't pay to be too loyal to one's heart. I will have to be sure and remember that." Xemnas said. Xemnas sent a skyscraper down on us.

"Back to the door!" Kage screamed. We ran, but the sudden impact of the building hitting the ground, caused Yami, Renamon, Tai, Mickey, Kage, Nyaromon, Stitch and Clip to end on the other side of the door, which closed.

"No!" Riku exclaimed.

"We can take him on our own!" Sora said. Kairi was with us. I was worried, but something told me she'd be fine. We ran forward. Our Digivices activated.

 ** _"Veemon digivolve to... Veedramon!"_**

 ** _"Kudamon digivolve to... Reppamon!"_**

 ** _"Labramon digivolve to... Oppossumon!"_**

 ** _"Salamon digivolve to... Gatomon!"_**

Buildings would pop up, knocking us all off balance. Finally, me and Sora sliced through one of them and proceeded forward. We found ourselves in a new area and skyscrapers would be flung at us. Me and Sora would slice them and use the sliced halves to jump to the castle. After making our way through the castle, we found Xemnas. He was encased in Xehanort's armor. It was hard fighting him, especially since used Axel, Xaldin, Demyx and Xigbar's powers.

"V-Nova Blast!" Veedramon exclaimed.

"Vacuum Kamaitachi!" Reppamon exclaimed.

"Mad Balloon Bomb!" Opossummmon exclaimed.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon exclaimed. Each of their attacks hit dead on. The four of us dealt the final blow.

"I need... more rage... I need more... hearts..." Xemnas muttered.

"Xemnas, a heart is much more than just anger and hate. Love, sadness, happiness, All those emotions are store in a heart. Don't you remember feeling happiness and sadness?" I asked.

"Unfortunately... I don't." Xemnas said. Xemnas vanished.

"Gosh, you all did great!" Mickey said. Yami handed Tai to me. I noticed Riku putting distance from everyone. Kudamon floated over to him. I walked over to him, with Salamon right next to me.

"Riku, I think our son wants you to hold him." I said. Riku turned and smiled a little. I handed Tai to him and our little baby cooed, happy to have his mother and father together with him. Salamon affectionately nuzzled Kudamon. "You're going to come back home with us, right?" Riku's smile dropped and he handed Tai to me.

"I had given in to the darkness and I... hurt you. All of you, in more ways than one." Riku said.

"Riku!" I cried. Sora and Kairi came over to us.

"How'm I gonna face everyone?" Riku asked.

"Like this!" Sora said. Sora made a funny face at Riku. He, me, Kairi, our Digimon and even Tai laughed. I had missed Riku's laugh. Suddenly, large vibration hit the tower, shaking it. I handed Tai back to Yami.

"Hurry!" Mickey exclaimed.

"I'll open a path." Riku said. Riku raised his hand, but a portal didn't open.

"Riku, you don't belong in the dark realm anymore." Yami said.

"How are we gonna get outta here?" Goofy asked. I felt a presence behind us. I looked and saw the transparent image of a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She held out her hand and opened a portal. Mickey and Donald ran toward it and the girl disappeared.

"Who did this?" Donald asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. But we'd better hurry and get through." Mickey said. Pluto suddenly appeared. He, Renamon, Nyaromon, Stitch and Clip ran through the portal. Goofy, Donald and Mickey followed. The girl reappeared.

"Thank you, Naminé." Kairi said. Naminé? So this was her.

"Sure." She turned to us. "See? We meet again, like we promised." Naminé said. What?

"You said we meet again." a voice said.

"But when we did, we might not recognize each other." another voice said. Just then, a transparent image of a boy and girl came from me and Sora. I realized who they were; Roxas and Nikko.

"I did, didn't I?" Naminé asked.

"But we knew you." Roxas said.

"Mmm... it's strange." Naminé said.

"I think I get. We see ourselves the way you remember us and you see yourself the way we remember you." Nikko said.

"I always thought Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness..." Naminé said.

"Yeah, but the three of us didn't. We got to meet our original selves." Roxas said.

"So, we can be together again!" Naminé exclaimed. Roxas and Nikko walked to Naminé's side.

"Yeah. Anytime Sora, Hikari and Kairi are together." Nikko said.

"We'll be together every day. Right?" Kairi asked.

"Uh...yeah!" Sora agreed.

"Of course!" I agreed. Naminé took Kairi's hand and she vanished.

"Look sharp!" Roxas said. Roxas vanished.

"Nikko... I promise, I'll a for you Roxas, Naminé, Axel and Xion to be your own selves." I said. A tear fell from her eye.

"Thank you. I know will." Nikko said. She disappeared shortly after.

"You guys are still you." Riku said. Yami and Kage were standing in the portal.

"Come on, let's go home!" Kage said. The four of us started to walk, but the portal began closing.

"Sora! Hikari! Riku! Kairi!" Yami cried. The portal vanished and at the same time, a large dragon-like creature rammed into the tower causing it to collapse. That's when our Digivices and the Armor DigiEggs glowed.

 ** _"Veemon armor digivolve to... Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"_**

 ** _"Kudamon armor digivolve to... Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_**

 ** _"Labramon armor digivolve to... Oryxmon, Shining Kindness!"_**

 ** _"Salamon armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_**

We each hopped on our Armor Digimon. Defeating the dragon was not easy, but managed somehow. It fell to the ground, but black mist covered it and it became a war machine. We hopped off our gliders and mine turned back into my Keyblade. We found ourselves facing Xemnas encased in Xehanort's armor. It was just like the time before, but after defeating him that time, we found ourselves in Eternal Nothingness. Our Digimon once again reverted to Rookie.

"Heroes and princesses of the realm of light... I will not allow to end this way— not yet. If light and darkness are eternal, then surely we nothings must be the same... Eternal!" Xemnas said.

"That's true. Light and darkness are as eternal as time. To never end." I said.

"Nothing is probably the same." Kairi said.

"But guess what, Xemnas?" Riku asked.

"That doesn't mean YOU'RE eternal!" Sora exclaimed. Xemnas laughed.

"No more eternal than that radiance of yours..." Xemnas said. A Digimon suddenly appeared next to Xemnas. "Diaboromon, deal with their pets." Diaboromon lunged toward our Digimon. Our Crests and Digivices activated once more.

 ** _"Veemon wrap digivolve to... AeroVeedramon!"_**

 ** _"Kudamon wrap digivolve to... Kyukimon!"_**

 ** _"Labramon wrap digivolve to... Pajiramon!"_**

 ** _"Salamon wrap digivolve to... Angewomon!"_**

Xemnas was more powerful than before. He would attack with streams of nothing, beams and his sabers. At one point he captured Sora and Kairi in an orb of darkness.

"Sora!" Riku cried.

"Kairi!" I yelled. We hurried to them, while dodging the Xemnas's clone. Riku and I jumped, grabbed Xemnas's hands which freed Sora and Kairi, struck him twice with our Keyblades and threw him into the air. "Curaga!"

"Thanks, Hikari." Kairi said. Xemnas was stunned from mine and Riku's attack so we were able to do a bit of damage to him. Just when I thought we had him, darkness surround us as thousands of energy beams were pointed to us. We parried each one that came. Soon, all of them were throw at us. After the darkness faded, we all were panting. Xemnas appeared out of nowhere and struck Sora and Riku.

"Sora!" Kairi cried.

"Riku!" I cried. Xemnas held a saber next to our faces. He swung, but Sora and Riku blocked him, then they pushed us out of the way and were hit. Riku held out Way to Dawn to me while Sora held out to Kingdom Key to Kairi. We grabbed the Keyblades and attacked Xemnas and somersaulted back to our princes.

"Sora!" Kairi shouted.

"Riku!" I shouted. Sora placed his hand on Kairi's and Riku placed his hand on mine. Starlight shot a beam of darkness while Destiny's Embrace shot a beam of light. The beams joined together and destroyed Xemnas, causing him to vanish. Diaboromon jumped from wall to wall until AeroVeedramon jumped in front of it.

"V-Wing Blade!" AeroVeedramon exclaimed.

"Blade Twister!" Kyukimon exclaimed.

"Treasure Bow!" Pajiramon exclaimed.

"Celesital Arrow!" Angewomon exclaimed. Her attack dealt the final damage and Diaboromon disappeared. That's when our Digimon reverted all the way back to their In-Training forms. We each ran and picked them up.

"We did it!" Sora exclaimed. However, thousands of Dusks appeared.

I wouldn't be too sure of that." Riku said. We managed to get rid of all of them, but Riku fell to his knees. "Hikari, I can't..."

"No! I refuse to lose you now! Not after all we've been through!" I cried. I wrapped an arm around his waist and wrapped one of his arms around my neck. Nyaromon and Kyaromon stayed right next to us. Sora wasn't as bad, but needed Kairi's help to walk.

"How can you say that? Even if we could go on... look where we are." Riku said.

"Aw, c'mon, Riku. You've been hanging out in darkness too long." Sora said.

"You've gotta be positive." Kairi said.

"Guys... you lead." Riku said. We started walking and after awhile, a bright light shone.


	68. Epilogue

My Pov

When the light faded, we found ourselves on a dark beach. As if on their own, Nyaromon, Kyaromon, Xiaomon and DemiVeemon stayed close to us.

"End of the road?" Riku asked.

"Yeah." I answered.

"Put me down, Hikari. I can walk." Riku said. I briefly let go and he stumbled. I grabbed him, but he regained his composure. Sora was all right too. Sora, Kairi and I walked toward the ocean.

"You know... maybe the darkness had gotten to me, too." Sora said. I heard a thud and saw Riku on the ground.

"Riku!" Kyaromon cried.

"Riku!" I cried. We ran to his side. He lifted his self up with his arms.

"This world is perfect for me. If the is is what the world really is... just this, then maybe I should fade back into darkness." Riku said.

"No! I told you that I would not lose you again! Not if I could help it." I scolded. Riku saw the seriousness in my eyes.

"If the world is made up of light and darkness... we'll be the darkness." Riku said. I could hear the pain in Riku's voice. He knew that we would never see our son again.

"As long as you guys are with me, I don't care where we are." Kairi said. Kairi sat next to Sora, who sat on the right side of Riku. I sat on the other side of Riku. Each of our Digimon sat in our laps.

"Yeah. Kage, Yami, Tai, the King and the others are there." Sora said.

"The realm of light is safe for them now." I said.

"That's what I mean. Hikari, could you help me? I wanna get down to the water." Riku said. Kyaromon and Nyaromon got off us. I helped Riku to his feet and carried him down to the water, with Sora and Kairi following us. "At least the waves sound the same." I couldn't help, but feel I had been to this place before.

"Hey, Hikari. I know it's weird to bring this up all of a sudden, but are you going to tell me now where you had gone when you disappeared from Traverse Town that one time?" Sora asked.

"You're really asking me about that after a year?" I asked. I sighed. "Fine. Master Yen Sid summoned me."

"Why'd he do that?" Riku asked.

"For me to take the Mark of Mastery." I said.

"What's that?" Kairi asked.

"It's a test that Keyblade bearers take to become true Keyblade Masters." I said.

"TRUE Keyblade Masters!? Did you pass?" Sora asked. I nodded.

"I was sent here and took on a vicious Heartless. I also met someone from my past, whose been here since I was five. I failed to bring her back home. That'll probably the only time I ever see her again." I sobbed. Tears slowly fell from my eyes. Riku wrapped his arms around me. Nyaromon wrapped her tail around my arm. I knew she missed Penguinmon as much as I missed Aqua.

"You'll see her again. What's she look like?" Kairi asked.

"Kairi, she was the one who saved us along the Mickey. The one who gave your the ability to wield a Keyblade." I said. Kairi thought for a minute and remembered.

"Oh, the woman with blue hair!" Kairi exclaimed. I nodded. I moved my foot and felt it tap something. I looked down and saw bottle. I picked it up. I noticed there was a piece of parchment inside.

"What's this?" I asked. Riku took it from me and opened it. He slid the letter out and read a little bit of it.

"Sora... I think it's for you." Riku said.

"Thinking of you, wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward and realize this wish. And who knows: Starting a new journey may not be so hard or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky— one sky, one destiny." Sora read. I saw Kairi blushing and trying to avoid eye-contact with Sora as he read the letter.

"I didn't think the letter would come all the way here..." Kairi mumbled. I giggled a little. I took out my Wayfinder and looked at it.

"Your friend made that, right?" Riku asked. I nodded. Then, it started glowing. A small, white beam pointed to my left. I looked and could hear someone coming.

"Someone's coming this way..." I said. After what felt like hours, the person stepped into view. I felt my heart swell when I saw who it was. Aqua. She turned and saw me and had the same shocked, tearful look on her face. Nyaromon was starting to tear up when she saw Pichimon.

"Hikari..." Aqua muttered. I was frozen. I felt a light push. I turned and saw Sora.

"Go on." Sora said. I slowly walked to Aqua, then ran to her and hugged her.

"Aqua! Aqua!" I cried. Tears that I let build up fell down my face. Nyaromon and Pichimon nuzzled each other.

"I thought that one time I saw you was going to be the last." Aqua sobbed.

"I thought that too. Maybe that's why we ended up here. Because you were waiting for us." I said.

"Maybe." Aqua agreed. Just then, a rectangular-shaped light appeared. "The Door to Light." I took hold of her hand.

"This time, I'm bringing you home." I said. We all stepped through the door and landed in the ocean. We all swam back up and looked around.

"Sora! Hikari! Riku! Kairi!" a voice called. We looked and saw Kage and Yami waving to us. It was the Play Islands! We were home! We all swam and the second I was in swallow water, I ran to my sister. From behind her came Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Clip and Stitch. Goofy, Donald, Stitch and Clip tackled me and Sora while Mickey ran to Riku and Kairi. Me, Sora and Kairi looked at each.

* * *

No one's Pov

 _For a brief moment, the three became their Nobodies who smiled at each other. Sora, Riku and Hikari returned home to their parents, who were overjoyed to have their children back. After explaining the situation about their child to their parents and Aqua, Hikari and Riku weren't in trouble. Riku's parents were shocked, but happy to have a grandchild. Aqua was happy to an aunt and to be back with her little sister._

* * *

My Pov

I sat on the trunk of the Paopu Tree, watching the sunset. Tai was being watched over by Mom and Dad. Riku sat next to me on the truck.

"I couldn't help but notice you put the ring I gave you on your ring finger." Riku said. I blushed.

"I don't know why I did. I'll move it." I said. I took it off, but Riku gently took it from me.

"I was really hoping you would've waited for me to ask you before putting on your ring finger." Ask me? That's when it dawned on me. He lifted me off the truck and sat me down on the ground. "I know we'll have to wait awhile before we can, but..." He got on my knee. "Will you marry me, Hikari?" Riku asked. I tackled him to the ground.

"Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!" He put the ring back on my ring finger. "I don't care how long we wait. It'll be worth it." I said.

"Just don't rush into it." We looked to see Aqua. We got up, blushing. "I knew the first time I saw Riku that he would be someone special to you." Aqua said. I smiled.

"Riku! Hikari! Aqua!" Kairi called. We saw Kairi, Sora and Kage running to us.

"What's up?" Riku asked.

"Look." Sora said. I looked at the bottle Kage had and the letter inside had Mickey's seal on it. I took it, opened the bottle and began reading the letter.


End file.
